


Like Cats and Dogs

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bottom!Percy, Catboy!Percy, Collars, D/s, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Mating, Nicercy - Freeform, Post-Apocalypse, Shounen-ai, Slash, Slavery, Top!Nico, dogboy!Nico, dominant!Nico, heat - Freeform, submissive!Percy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-05-14 07:11:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5734300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Experiments with human DNA created a variety of hybrids, so called Humas, and nearly wiped normal humans off the planet. Wars, battles for dominance and land, ensued.</p><p>Dog Humas took over North America. They keep Cat Humas as pets, thinking that a naturally submissive race can not live without the protection of a dominant.</p><p>Nico di Angelo, one of Neo New York's literal top dogs, has always been irked by that idea. So when a supposedly errand boy from his law firm collapses after having taken bad heat suppressants, Nico realizes that ordinary, timid human Percy Jackson is neither ordinary, by far not timid and not even human and that realization will change Nico's life forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Separation by War

PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || Like Cats and Dogs || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: Like Cats and Dogs – The Top Dog Seduced By the Kitten

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; post post apocalyptic AU

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, slavery, catboys/girls, dogboys/girls, explicit intercourse, anal, heat, knotting, D/s, collar, mpreg, shoujo-ai, hetero, threesome

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Bianca/Thalia, Reyna/Piper/Annabeth, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Jake/Will, Ethan/Alabaster, Octavian/Luke/Jason, Charles/Silena, Chris/Clarisse

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, Jake Mason, Will Solace, Thalia Grace, Jason Grace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Octavian Simmons, Luke Castellan, Cecil Rogers, Ethan Nakamura, Alabaster C. Torrington, Lou Ellen, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Chris Rodriguez, Clarisse la Rue

Summary: In a world wrecked by a human experiment gone wrong – many humans died and the genes of others merged with animals – the world is ruled by so-called Dog Humas, humans with dog-traits. They're a dominant race that keeps all others in check. Humans can be glad to work under a Dog Huma. There are others though. Human DNA mixed with cat DNA. Cat Humas are a naturally submissive race and while humans are glad to work for Dog Humas, Cat Humas are no more than sex-slaves and pets. The world is a harsh and strict place.

And even though Nico di Angelo is one of the absolute top dogs around, the senior partner of the best law firm, he has a soft spot for Cat Humas and thinks they shouldn't be treated the way they are. So when his errand boy Percy Jackson collapses in his office after having taken bad heat suppressants and Nico discovers that the supposed human is a cat, it changes Nico's life forever.

**Like Cats and Dogs**

_The Top Dog Seduced By the Kitten_

_Prologue: Separation by War_

Two hundred years ago, humans wrecked the world and nearly caused their own demise.

In their greedy attempt to achieve immortality, their top scientists had started doing human experimentation. The DNA of animals that were known for their regenerative abilities was crossed with human DNA. Over the years, the experiment seemed to achieve more and more recognition. They seemed so short of a break-through when all hell broke loose. What was supposed to grand humans immortality mutated into a deadly virus.

Millions of infected humans died. Others suffered from side-effects, their genes mutating from the exposure to different animals' DNA. Forth came various different hybrid-races, many of those dying soon after due to not being viable. Others were stomped out by scared humans who saw them as monsters. And then there were those that survived the time and trials, calling themselves Humas.

While the human race was weakened due to the losses of the virus and the Human-Huma-Wars that had followed, one race in particular grew in strength and numbers. The Dog Humas. A side-effect of the DNA mingling between human and dog was that the Dog Humas had turned out to be a naturally strong and dominant race. While humans were sidetracked by fighting other Humas, the dog-race evolved and strengthened themselves. They found their perfect match. Where Dog Humas were naturally dominant, Cat Humas had turned out to be naturally submissive and overly fertile. When it became popular knowledge that Humas born to a naturally submissive were stronger, when other races noticed how sweet and delectable naturally submissives were, they got captured. Used for breeding, sold as sex-slaves, held for carnal pleasure. Many dominant races gained numbers and strength by using submissives for breeding and the race that came out the strongest from that were the Dog Humas. They used their advantage and the fact that humans were weakened after the previous fights with other Humas and the losses from the virus gone haywire and the Dog Humas came out victoriously from the so called Great Human War.

That war laid a hundred years in the past.

The world slowly recovered from the aftermath of the virus and the many battles and wars. Society reformed, but in a new way. Dog Humas had taken over North America. Communication between the different continents had picked up about fifty years ago and other dominant Huma races had taken over other former countries. Humans, the minority in the world by now, could live a relatively peaceful life as long as they followed the rules and laws set by the Humas, but they could never take on leading positions or be politicians. Only dominant Humas could. And while North America was worldwide known as the United States of Dog Humas, other dominant Humas were living there too. So were submissive Humas, the most popular being Cat Humas. Others existed – Bunny Humas were wildly popular in Europe, for example – but ever since before the Great Human War, cats had the greatest population in North America. Though due to their submissive nature, they were even more limited than humans actually. They were too precious to be endangered, so generally they were kept safe in auction houses until they were owned by a dominant. As long as a submissive was claimed and had their mate's permission, they could work and roam the city freely and could do pretty much all they wanted. And like that, society had found a new, rocky stability.

One that did not sit well with everyone.

Nico di Angelo was one of the Dog Humas who disagreed with the treatment of submissives. He personally didn't care too much for humans – there were decent and good humans, but generally speaking, he figured they were to be blamed for their own fate, because it was their greed that had nearly doomed them all. But Cat Humas weren't any different than Dog Humas. They had gotten their DNA screwed with by humans, they had to somehow survive, but now they were owned as pets. Somehow, Nico understood that during the times of war, it was a necessary evil that they were used for breeding, but he personally thought that by now, they were trying to hold up a civilized society and slavery in any form should not be part of that. So-called traditionalists defended themselves and argued how much freedom submissives had gained over the past decades. That they were allowed so many things, as long as they had a dominant to 'provide for them and protect them', that it all was for the best of the submissives. Because on their own, submissives would be completely lost. They needed the strength and protection of a dominant.

Nico knew enough submissives who would easily scratch out eyes for such comments. In his experience, submissives were actually quite head-strong and very clever. They had nothing on the physical strength of dominants and okay, when they went into heat, they were very vulnerable and defenseless and in that time, they truly did need protection. But in his mind, the overall goal should be to achieve a world where submissives could safely walk around and instead of fearing the attacks of horny dominants, expect the protection of other dominants simply because they were all Humas and they should all support each other. He knew that was painfully unrealistic and he was being a hopeless dreamer, but he couldn't really help it. He had always suffered from a strong sense of justice. It was what made him such a stellar lawyer. That and that he was a very strong Dog Huma. His family practically ruled Neo New York. He had money, fame, a good family, wonderful friends, the status that was most desirable in North America. All he was missing was true love, a mate.


	2. Extraordinarily Ordinary

_Chapter 1: Extraordinarily Ordinary_

Percy Jackson was a dull, unassuming, little thing.

He was an errand boy and when he was told to do something, he instantly did it. He never protested, never spoke up. He could sneak around the office without drawing attention to himself. He was timid and very normal and ordinary. Just another human, trying to keep his head down in a law firm owned by three Dog Huma senior partners. It wasn't uncommon. Humans often tried to stick to the background, just grateful they had work – well-paid work such as in a big firm as _Di Angelo, Nakamura & Simmons_. Not that the errand boy earned a lot of money.

It was probably his level of unassuming, ordinary mediocrity that got Nico di Angelo's attention.

Something about the errand boy just rubbed the senior partner the wrong way. Maybe it was Nico's inner dog that enjoyed when someone barked back and he got to establish his dominance. All those suck-ups were really making him sick. But Percy? That kid was trying so hard to be normal and to melt into the shadows. It was weird. Suspicious. The young man also seemed to hide in his own clothes. He always wore a beanie and relatively baggy clothes. If he was anything more than an errand boy, he would have been kicked out for the dress-code violation alone.

So maybe Nico's attention was a little more on Percy Jackson than on his other underlings. Mainly so because, honestly, Nico was just searching for an excuse to fire the kid. But Percy was the most reliable guy Nico had. Whatever Nico needed, Percy would get it and do so without complain. That was as much a positive thing as it was what agitated Nico. But that was just part of Nico hating the system. Humans and submissives ducking their heads, careful not to say a single word to agitate a dominant. That was hardly Percy Jackson's fault, really. But something about the boy seemed so... off. All the timid politeness was so fake and unreal and it made Nico want to rattle the boy and shake the facade off to reveal the truth hidden behind layers of normality.

Still, out of some reason, it especially annoyed Nico with Percy. The Dog Huma's eyes always picked Percy out in a crowd, regardless of how much the boy tried to melt into the background. Or maybe even because of that. It had become a kind of game for Nico. Like those _Where is Waldo?_ books that he used to read when he was a pup, where they had to spot the Dog Huma in the red-white sweater in a crowd. Even a senior partner needed a pastime.

"Your obsession with the little human is weird."

The three senior partners shared one gigantic office, with both a large window-front with a view out on Neo New York, as well as glass-walls so they could oversee their subordinates. One of them being Percy Jackson, sneaking past the desks and working lawyers with a downright professional, graceful elegance. It was strange to watch. Shaking his head, Nico turned to the desk next to his, where one of his partners snickered in agreement. Octavian Simmons, a tall, lanky Dog Huma with blonde hair and Dalmatian ears and tail. He was a nasty and agitating fella who got on Nico's nerves all the time. Gritting his teeth, Nico instead turned his focus on the one who had made the comment to begin with. A Cat Huma by the name of Alabaster, owned by their third partner Ethan Nakamura. Alabaster sat on his gigantic purple cushion next to Ethan's desk, dark brown tail whipping back and forth behind his body as his dark green eyes stared teasingly at Nico.

"Ethan. Your kitten", growled Nico displeased, straightening himself.

Ethan, a tall Japanese Shiba Inu Dog Huma, had his one dark-green eye trained on his laptop in front of him, an eye-patch covering the empty socket next to it from an old injury back when he used to live in the Japanese Empire, one of the few regions where humans were in control and Humas were treated like they were some kind of demons. Not looking up from whatever he was working on, Ethan slipped his right hand off his keyboard to rest on top of Alabaster's head, right between the two dark pointy ears as though he was patting his pet encouragingly.

"Mh? What do you mean? Did my neko-chan do something?", asked Ethan innocently.

Alabaster mewed and bumped his head against Ethan's hand. "Never, master. I'm a good boy, right."

"Of course you are, my alley cat", chuckled Ethan fondly.

Nico huffed and rolled his eyes at them. The three of them had the largest and most prestigious law firm in the state of New York. Nico di Angelo was the top lawyer around, really. Everyone with a name and rank had a lawyer from their firm. Coincidentally, Nico's big sister was the district attorney. Then again, Nico and Bianca had always argued, ever since they could talk, so their father – the mayor of Neo New York – had laughed heartedly at their respective choices. Nico's and Bianca's older brother Thanatos was the police commissioner, so one could say that Neo New York belonged to the di Angelos in all aspects. They ruled it, strict but fair.

The same could be said about Nico and his firm. He was a strict but fair boss. And the only reason why he worked with Ethan and Octavian was because they agreed on the things that mattered, regardless of how many petty arguments they had on the way. The point being that Nico had found partners who also thought that submissive Humas deserved to be treated with respect, love and kindness. Nico knew that with most other Dog Humas, Alabaster would have received a physical punishment for speaking out of line like that. But among themselves, the kittens in their lives had liberties, they knew they could be themselves without having to fear punishment. Outside of the safety of their homes or firm, they knew better than to talk like that to a dominant though. But Nico and Alabaster were actually good friends, even though the kitten could be quite the pain in the ass.

"Your kitten is teasing me again", growled Nico with a borderline pout, black floppy ears twitching.

His desk was set in the middle of the room, facing the offices below theirs and overseeing his realm like a throne. Octavian's desk stood against the wall to Nico's right and Ethan's stood at the wall to Nico's left. Both Ethan and Octavian had gigantic, fluffy pillows and cushions piling next to their desks. Nico had seen it before, dominants who took their subs to work, made them kneel silently next to the desk on the floor until the work day was over. It disturbed Nico. Octavian's and Ethan's at least had it very comfortable, though they spend probably as much time in their respective mate's lap, or when they couldn't sit still anymore, they were allowed to roam the whole firm. They were safe here, because every single employee – dominant or human – knew better than to mess with a senior partner's mate. Alabaster purred and rolled onto his back.

"Is not my fault. I'm bored", huffed the brunette catboy. "Someone, pay attention to me!"

He tugged on Ethan's pant-leg demandingly, glaring up at the older Huma. Nico rolled his eyes. Honestly, Alabaster could be lucky that Ethan had bought him. Ethan adored Alabaster's attitude, most other dominants would have beaten it out of the Cat Huma by now.

"Neko-chan, you know I have work to do", sighed Ethan, tickling Alabaster's chin. "Why don't you go and look for Luke? You two could play some, mh, love?"

"Yeah. Go and chase some mice", snickered Nico, before pausing. "Though... Where _is_ Luke?"

"Knowing my wicked kitten, he's already chasing something else entirely", sighed Octavian aggravated, rubbing his temples. "He has a tendency of chasing Jason before lunch..."

"Oh, come on", groaned Nico and threw his head back into his neck. "I told you before, they're not supposed to fuck in the storage rooms. Last time, they scared a poor intern nearly to death. The guy didn't stop blushing and stuttering for a whole week."

A shark-like grin laid on Octavian's lips. "What can I say? My wicked little kitten isn't satisfied just spreading his legs for me. He has some... dominant tendencies himself. And our little Jay is _perfect_ like that. Though he's just as stubborn as Luke. Mh... my pretty, little kittens..."

Nico made a face at that, but everyone in the room knew he didn't mean it like that. He was actually pretty happy for them, his colleagues as well as the kittens who had found dominants who treated them right. Because in the end, all five of them were Nico's friends (not that he would ever really be caught calling Octavian his 'friend'). Before either of them could dwell on the moment any longer, Percy stood right in front of Nico's desk as though he had materialized out of thin air. As he always did. Sneaky little human. He stood perfectly still until someone noticed him, he never even spoke up to draw attention to himself, never trying to bother anyone. Nico never even heard him come, dog ears be damned. Raising one eyebrow, Nico looked the human dead in the eyes.

"Yes, Perseus?", inquired Nico, completely refusing to use the nickname the boy preferred, simply because he tried to _somehow_ get a reaction out of the human. "What is it?"

"M—Miss Beauregard send me in to give you the report of the morning, sir", replied Percy, his voice timid and small and honestly barely audible. "Mister Beckendorf complained that... that... uhm, Senior Partner Simmons' pets are causing a ruckus on his floor... in the... janitor's closet. Very loudly so, to quote him. And Missus la Rue means to remind you of your meeting later..."

Nico took the notes from Percy, brushing his hand and noticing that it was unusually cramped and sweaty, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Are you quite alright, Perseus?"

"Y—Yes, sir", answered Percy hastily. "Just a bit of a cold, sir."

Nico grunted displeased. All the politeness and correctness were so disgustingly fake. Nico hated fake people, more than nearly anything else. He dismissed the human before his presence could agitate Nico any more and the Dog Huma went back to work.

/break\

Octavian had been send to collect his wayward kittens, who now laid curled together and utterly blissed out on the heap of pillows next to Octavian's desk. Luke was purring pleased and grooming Jason, who had fallen asleep on Luke's lap, exhausted after their morning activities. Nico only spared them a passing glance as he left their office for his meeting with Clarisse la Rue. The woman was 'only' a human, but she was one of the few good humans Nico knew. She was a force of nature and regardless of her genes one of the best lawyers they had. Outside his office, Nico paused at the desk of their personal assistant Silena Beauregard, who was by far the best human Nico knew.

"Where is Perseus?", inquired Nico as he didn't spot the errand boy anywhere.

"I told the poor thing to go and lay down on the couch of the break room. He looked so horrible", sighed Silena with a concerned frown. "Well, I told him to go home and take a sick day, but the boy is more stubborn than you are, so there is that. I told him I'd go and check on him in half an hour."

Nico raised one confused eyebrow. That boy? Stubborn? Shaking his head, he took the file Silena handed him and straightened himself out some. Silena offered him a blinding smile.

"Well, don't bother. I will go and check on him after my meeting with Clarisse and if he has gotten worse, I will send him home for the day", stated Nico casually.

"Very well. You're the boss", chimed Silena cheerfully.

Somehow that gave him the feeling that this outcome was exactly what she had been aiming for. The woman was sneaky, but she was also too loving and kind for anyone to hold it against her. And if need be, she even dared to speak up against Nico and the other senior partners if they did something she deemed to be dumb. Those were the kind of people Nico surrounded himself with. Not just Ethan and Octavian; everyone who worked closely with Nico had been hand-picked. He just turned away from Silena's desk to leave when he spotted a tall, dark-skinned and rather intimidating man. If not for his lack of dog ears and tail, no one would assume him to be a mere human. Just seeing the approaching man made Silena smile so softly, it looked as though she was melting. As far as Nico knew, Silena was engaged to Charles Beckendorf.

"Ah. Nico. On your way to see Clarisse?", asked the man as he tore his gaze off his fiance.

"Mh. I assume you're not here to talk to your bride-to-be then?", inquired Nico curiously.

"No. Complications in the case. Or rather a kind of... overlapping. With Clarisse's", replied Charles and shook his head. "I wanted to ask you if I can tag along with you to the meeting."

"You want me to catch the brunt force of Clarisse's displeasure for you", translated Nico and rolled his eyes a bit amused. "Very well. But you owe me your fiance's chocolate chip cookies."

Charles turned back to throw a pleading look at Silena, who just smiled amused. "Tomorrow."

Smirking pleased, Nico led the way to the elevator. As soon as they reached Clarisse's floor, they were greeted by the brunette woman pacing in front of the elevator. Today was going to be a headache day. She turned and glared at the both of them, completely unflinching despite Nico being both a Dog Huma and one of the senior partners. That woman was not intimidated by anything.

"Finally! I've been waiting for four whole minutes now", glowered Clarisse, tapping her foot. "I have other things to do too, you know. Now come, let's get this over with."

/break\

Nico groaned and rolled his shoulders as he finally got out of the meeting room. Beckendorf looked positively dead as he laid with his forehead resting atop the case file. Clarisse had been whisked away by the post guy, who claimed to have some 'important mail' for her. Everyone knew that Chris from the post office and Clarisse were not-so-secretly hooking up in the post office. When he was back on the top floor, he wanted to just collapse on the couch in his office, but then he noticed that there was no Percy sneaking through the rows of desks. Right. Checking on the errand boy.

Entering the break room, he was a little surprised at what he found. Percy was curled together on the couch, clutching his stomach, a sheet of sweat glistering on his skin as he whimpered softly.

"Are you... alright, Perseus?", asked Nico for a second time today.

"Yeah, sure, I always writhe in pain when I'm happy", hissed Percy annoyed, glaring up at him with slightly glassy eyes. "I'm totally peachy. What does it _look_ like?!"

Nico actually took a surprised step back at that. That was, legitimately, the first time ever that Nico had heard Percy raise his voice and talk back like that. So, being in pain made it harder for Percy to keep up that nice and unassuming facade? Nico had the sudden urge to poke the kid.

"I don't know", hummed Nico and knelt down next to Percy's face, tilting his head thoughtful. "Never actually seen you happy before, so who knows, maybe that is happy you."

"This is 'I'm gonna scratch my boss' eyes out if he doesn't leave soon'-me", growled Percy agitated.

Chuckling amused, Nico rested his chin on his hand, elbow on his knee. "My, my. What crawled up your arse to make you so... thin-skinned? C'mon, tell me what's wrong."

Percy took a shaky breath. "I—I can handle it on my own. J—Just go. You fucking hate me anyway. Don't worry, I'm not gonna die and stain your precious firm's carpets."

Nico cocked his head to the other side, frowning. "I could learn to like this you. You got bite."

"I'm gonna bite you if you don't leave me alone soon", groaned Percy, clutching himself tighter.

The half-grin on his lips didn't betray the worry in his eyes. "Enough with the snark now, Perseus. Tell me what's wrong with you, or I'm gonna call an ambulance. You'll never live down being carried out here on a stretcher, believe me. Clarisse will make fun of you for the rest of your life."

Percy just whimpered and curled himself tighter together. As much as Nico wanted to have a conversation with Percy, more than 'Yes, sir' and Percy bowing his head, Nico started to get seriously worried for the kid. Reaching out, Nico brushed Percy's hair and beanie out of the way to check his temperature. The errand boy flinched away from his – compared to the forehead – cold hand. Nico cursed at how much Percy seemed to be burning up, though the curse got stuck in his throat as Percy's jerky movement caused the beanie to slip off his head. One curious, rectangular velvet ear twitched, the other was squished between Percy's head and the couch. Percy, oblivious to it due to the pain, just curled together even tighter. Tilting his head, Nico slowly let his hand wander from the damp forehead to the black, furry ear, tracing it. It twitched again under his touch, laying flat against Percy's skull as though it tried to escape Nico. Nico couldn't help himself, he needed to know. He pulled the baggy shirt up, revealing a rather fluffy black tail, long and curled tightly around Percy's waist. Nico's eyes nearly popped out as he reached down and to stroke the tail. After having tugged the shirt up, something fell out of the front-pocket and rolled onto the floor. The sound startled Nico out of his stupor and he blinkingly stared down. Taking the bottle of pills up from the ground, Nico turned it to read the inscription. His eyes widened even more, though he hadn't thought that possible. Those were _definitely_ heat-suppressants, but just as obviously very fake knock-offs. It was, however, impossibly dangerous to take heat-suppressants that claimed to be 'heat-supresants'. Then again, hadn't Silena mentioned the boy was dyslexic? Maybe he didn't know.

"Perseus", whispered Nico, keeping his voice low and warm to sooth the boy in pain. "Perseus, this is important. Listen to me and answer honestly, okay? You're a Cat Huma. And... And you're supposed to be in heat. Did you take those this morning? Before the pain started?"

Percy just whimpered and curled _even tighter_ together. Seriously, this was getting ridiculous. Then again, Percy being a cat did explain _that_. Cats were weird like that, they could make themselves so tiny and twist their bodies to confusing degrees. Nico let himself fall down onto the ground and heaved a sigh. This explained so much and it made it so much more complicated. Percy wasn't human. That was why he had rubbed Nico the wrong way this entire time. Percy was _hiding_ his heritage, that was why he always acted so awfully overly timid and obedient, so no one would notice him and what he was hiding. Percy next to him whimpered in pain and Nico winced.

"Sh, it's gonna be alright", murmured Nico, absentmindedly reaching a hand out to pat Percy between the ears while fishing his phone out with the other, dialing a number. "Jake? I'll need you to pick me up early from work today. When? Well, when can you be here? And... bring your kitten. And his medical bag. I'll explain it to you when I see you. Tell Will to calm down, his screeching is giving me a headache even through the phone. See you in a bit." Hanging up and putting his phone back, Nico frowned over at Percy. "Perseus. Percy, I'm gonna put your hat back on and then I'll bring you to see a doctor, so... try not to bite me or scratch me, please?"

"N—No", groaned Percy and shook his head weakly. "N—No doctor... They'll... T—They'll... l—lock me away... a—and sell me... I—I c—can't go back there, I _can't_!"

"Sh, it's alright", murmured Nico softly, caressing Percy's hair soothingly. "He's a good guy. A friend. I'm not gonna tell anyone, Percy, it's gonna be alright. I promise. I won't let anyone take you away and sell you, Percy. You're gonna be alright, I'll make sure of that."

Not that Percy had much room to protest, he was as good as passed out at this point. Righting Percy's disguise, Nico cautiously gathered Percy up in his arms, noting that the boy was decidedly too light for his age. Nico frowned to himself as he cradled Percy close to his chest in a too protective manner. Just because he now knew that Percy was a submissive didn't mean anything changed. He was just protective because Percy was hurting and needed help – _the submissive in his arms needed help_. Oh, screw biology. Nico glowered as he carried Percy to the elevator. No one even dared to approach him, because apparently he was giving off some dangerous vibes. By the time he reached the underground garage, his black stretch limo was already parked in its spot. Jake was the best driver Nico had ever had. Jake got out of the car with a worried frown and opened the door for him. When Nico climbed in, having Percy resting on his lap, he was instantly tackled by an agitated blonde Cat Huma, white ears flat against his skull as he hissed. Will was the only Cat Huma Nico knew who had a medical degree, thanks to his owner Jake, who was very generous, and the di Angelos, who paid for it all, because they liked the idea of having a doctor for their Cat Humas who actually _cared_ and _understood_. Will growled and started sniffing Percy.

"What did he _take_? It _reeks_. Wrecks his natural scent", hissed Will, shifting nervously, unsettled.

"Some fake heat-suppressants", sighed Nico. "I know your opinion on those, Will, calm down..."

Will hated those things, because they suppressed their nature, messed up their hormones. Nico leaned back and watched with hawk-eyes how Will started treating the suffering Cat Huma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have Percy waking up in what can only be described as Wonderland to him, because there's his boss, who always seemed to hate him, taking care of him and there's a Cat Huma who's actually a doctor and other Cats who are treated... equal. The world as Percy knows is being thrown upside down.
> 
> Next update will be a oneshot on Saturday, because I don't have the writing time atm and I haven't posted that yet, so enjoy how fire-fighter!Nico saves baker!Percy's life when the apartment building he lives in burns down. Of course, things don't end there. They really start with a thank you cake delivered to the fire house.


	3. Sleeping Beauty and the Beasts

_Chapter 2: Sleeping Beauty and the Beasts_

Nico frowned as he ran his fingers through Percy's damp hair. He wasn't as sweaty anymore and his expression was less pained. Will had worked wonders three days ago and now Percy was on a good way. But he hadn't woken up yet. Nico could feel the hard pitch-black eyes on his.

"What do you want, sorellona?", asked Nico softly, looking up.

Bianca di Angelo sat in Nico's arm-chair, facing the bed and watching Nico and Percy. Thalia, her faithful black-furred kitten, sat on the arm-rest, legs thrown over Bianca's lap, arms around Bianca's neck. Both females stared pointedly at Nico and Nico shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.

"Ethan and Luke told us that you've never been nice to the boy before", stated Bianca cautiously, calculating. "But now that you know he's a submissive, you haven't left his side once. Hazel and I have been taking turns to bring you food and force you to take showers. So, what I want is to know if you were being a brat who pulls the pigtails of the girl he likes, or if you're really just now interested in him because he is a submissive. Bets around the house are on either, by the way."

Nico grunted annoyed and crossed his arms over his chest like a stubborn child. What he didn't notice was the fluttering of Percy's eyelashes. The kitten was trying to process where he was and what was happening. He recognized his boss and his boss' sister the district attorney. Bianca was nice, for a Dog Huma anyway. And her question was valid. Why had Nico brought him here? Here being the di Angelo mansion – Percy may not have been in this room before, but he recognized the overall design and the taste of his boss and the fancily carved wooden door. Was it because Percy was a Cat Huma? Had Nico decided to... to keep him? Panic gripped his heart and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the world and be as still as possible so he wouldn't be noticed.

"It's not like that, Bianca", sighed Nico and shook his head. "I know I was... a dick. There's really no other way to phrase it. But... Honestly? It's because of him! He was... pretending to be something he wasn't. Even though his previous heat suppressants must have been damn good because they covered his scent, there was still always that... off-scent to him. Like something just wasn't right. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way and I never understood what so I just... tried to rile him up, to get _any_ reaction out of him. Any at all. But he's always overly polite and timid and shy and just... knowing exactly what to do to placate a dominant, to blend into the shadows. It was just... just so suspicious and I didn't _understand_ it. Nothing. Not why he behaved the way he did, not why he could _do_ the things he did – he's so freaking sneaky and like a ninja, but him being a kitten explains that so well – and then there is the way he smells. He smelt so _wrong_ , with all the chemicals, regardless of how well it was covered. But now... now everything fell into place. Now he smells right, now his behavior makes sense and the things he said make sense. I... feel at ease. Before, I felt on edge whenever I was around him, now I don't." Nico paused, turning to look at Percy with a frown on his face. "And yeah, okay, I admit that the reason why I'm hovering over him right now are probably the instincts speaking. He is the first unowned submissive I've ever met and my instincts are screaming at me to protect him, yeah."

Protect? What a strange word to chose. Not own or possess... but protect? Percy's eyebrows knitted as he frowned to himself. Why would Nico say that? Sure, their firm had a very pet-friendly policy, but that didn't change that Nico was a Dog Huma and Percy was a Cat Huma. There was no way Nico was going to ignore the difference in status, the _worth_ to Percy.

"Very well", agreed Bianca after a beat, nodding and getting up. "We'll leave you to it."

"Hazel and Frank are making dinner, so you will have to tear yourself away from your chosen kitten", stated Thalia with a smirk. "Hazel won't accept a 'no' this time around. She invited Reyna over for dinner after all and Ethan and Octavian are coming too."

"...Wonderful", muttered Nico, not sounding pleased at all. "I'll see you later."

"But you know", added Bianca just as she stepped out of the room. "You have to apologize as soon as the little one wakes up, because according to Reyna's kitten, you hurt him badly."

"W—Wait. What do you mean?", called Nico out after her, very confused.

Reyna's kitten. Annabeth. Annabeth was a sweet blonde kitten with white fluffy fur. She was arrogant and brilliant and nice if she wanted to be. Percy had met her before, since Reyna was one of the top partners at the firm – a candidate to become named partner, actually – and Annabeth and Piper, Reyna's kittens, were always around the office too. Piper was fun, while Annabeth was always serious. Percy, he liked them both. Perhaps it was a little bit the longing for others like him. Other Cat Humas. Not to be the only one anymore. Not being alone anymore.

"Is he awake yet? Why's he still asleep? I'm bored!"

Percy frowned with his eyes still closed as the excited voice entered the room. Nico heaved an annoyed sigh, suggesting that the lawyer wasn't too fond of the owner of the voice.

"Sh, Leo", hissed Nico agitated. "You heard Will. Percy needs rest, so if his body still demands rest from him, then we need to let him rest. Besides, you're always bored."

"Meh... Hazel and Frank are making dinner and they kicked me out for dissecting the toaster", admitted Leo with a pout evident in his voice as he jumped onto the bed.

"...I told you a million times, you are forbidden from just taking our electronics apart. If Frank and Hazel want to buy you stuff to take apart, fine. But this toaster is essential to my daily routine so do not take it apart, damn it", grunted Nico, sounding a little pouty himself.

"Leo, is he awake? Is he?", called another curious voice.

Two sets of footsteps entered the room and Percy couldn't help but groan a little, because it was getting just too _loud_. The fingers carding through his hair suddenly froze up and so did Percy, nervous what the dominant was going to do. The hand slipped from his hair to caress his cheek.

"Perseus?", whispered Nico, voice softer and more tender than Percy had ever heard it before. "Percy, are you... awake? Are you in pain? Do you need something?"

"I—I'm fine, Mister di Angelo", whispered Percy, voice breaking.

"No", grunted Nico, sounding clearly irritated – the way Percy was used to. "Percy, stop it. Don't... Don't start being a timid little thing _again_. When you were snarking at me days ago, _that_ was... you. According to Silena, at least. I'm only talking to the real Percy, not this... this fake, shy persona you build up to... to... I honestly don't know. To pose as a human for whatever reasons."

Later on, Percy would blame the lingering pain and the ache in his head for his reaction. "Whatever reasons? That's a high and mighty thing to say for a dominant. You have no idea how things are for a submissive on their own. And don't get all arrogant 'Don't give me this persona now', after all the shit you have given me over the _years_ and now suddenly I'm 'Percy' to you, yeah? You refused to call me that from day one. I don't _ever_ want to hear you call me that, because that's not what you call me. You call me Perseus, because you don't give a _shit_ about what I want."

A moment later and his brain caught up with the words that left Percy's mouth. He stared wide-eyed and flinched as Nico moved – expecting a punch. Instead, Nico reached for the glass of water and offered it to Percy, having the guts to grin at the Cat Huma.

"There, that's better", murmured Nico softly, holding the glass up to Percy's lips. "Here, drink. Your throat is all sore and raspy. You've been out for three days, Perc... Perseus."

Percy took a few big gulps before Nico took the glass away again. "Why... You're _so_ weird. You're so, so weird. You're a Dog Huma. Why... Why are you being so mean to me when I'm at my best behavior, but you're being nice when I hiss and claw at you...?"

"Yeah, get used to it. He's weird like that", snickered Leo and wiggled his eyebrows.

"...Who are you?", asked Percy suspiciously, sitting in the corner of the bed.

"Oh. Right. Haven't met yet", chimed Leo with a broad grin. "I'm Leo. I'm Nico's brother-in-law. His sister's kitten. Nice to meet you! Hazel never takes me with her when she goes visit Nico at work though... Well, she prefers if I stay in the mansion at all times, since outside is where the evil bad people are who treat Cat Humas like shit and she just... really wants to shelter me."

"It's a di Angelo trade", teased a punk catgirl with a grin. "Hello. I'm Lou, that's Cecil. We're Nico's. Uhm, _not_ mates. Platonic kittens? Friends. Yeah, that's it. Street kids. He took us in. Hello again."

"It's _so_ cool that Nico wants to take in another kitten", declared the catboy introduced as Cecil.

"...What?", asked Percy, blinking slowly.

Nico frowned annoyed, glaring at the other three cats. "How about the three of you get out and do anything else but not be here? Wouldn't that be a great idea?"

Cecil, Lou and Leo stuck their tongues out at Nico in a childish manner, their tails whipping behind their bodies as they left. Percy was feeling an intense new brand of headache coming up.

"What is _going on_ here?", drawled Percy out slowly, staring intensely at Nico.

Nico heaved a sigh and adjusted himself to sit opposite Percy. "First of all, I am sorry. I am sorry for the way I behaved and I... know you didn't deserve it. It's just... I... am not good with fake people. I've pretended to be something I'm not for years and it ate away at me and I hate seeing people pretending to be something they're not. I do however understand why you did it. I do know what submissives have to go through in our world. That's why I took Lou and Cecil in, that's why my firm's policy is so pro cat. I don't _like_ the way your kind is being treated and I am doing my best to change it. In my firm, in my home, I give to charities that fight for Cat Huma Rights all the time. And if I had known that you are a Cat Huma, I would have treated you differently. I would have helped you. But I didn't. I just knew that I something about you was off, so I barked at you."

Percy's frown deepened. He knew, somewhere in his heart, he knew that Nico was doing a lot to fight for Cat Huma Rights, but that didn't make anything any easier. He had seen Nico joke and banter with Jason, Alabaster and Luke lots of time. Nico just treated them like any other regular Dog Huma – he treated humans as equals too. To Nico, everybody seemed to be the same. He had never looked down on anyone. Anyone aside from Percy. Was what Nico said right? Had he really only been nasty to Percy out of instincts, knowing that something about Percy was wrong? Because right now, Nico's voice was soft and very nice to listen to – not cold or crude.

"...And... what did he mean? What am I doing here? What is going to happen?", asked Percy next.

Nico took a moment to make sure he chose the right words. "What's going to happen next is entirely your decision, Perseus. Yours alone. I'm going to help you with whatever you decide, I promise. You're here because you broke down at work because you took bad heat suppressants. I got my family's doctor Will, he's a Cat Huma himself. He helped you through it, gave you the right meds. Now that you're okay again, you have two options, Perseus. You can go back to living in hiding, but please don't take any fake suppressants anymore, I want you to meet up with Will for regular check-ups and he will give you real meds. I will... not treat you differently, I will treat you like any human. Your status is not gonna get on any records, I promise. The alternative to this is that you stay here, as my kitten. N—Not like that! I swear! P—Purely platonic. Just like Lou and Cecil. You would officially belong to me, that way you're clear from any kind of prosecution and you're still free to work and walk however and wherever it pleases you. I understand that you don't trust me, so I am offering you to stay at my mansion for a week to fully recover and get to meet the others. You can talk to Cecil, Lou, Leo and Thalia and see and hear for yourself how they're feeling living here. You can also get to know my sisters and Hazel's other mate Frank and see that all Dog Humas present here are tame and non-hostile. For now, I would advise you to rest a little longer and maybe... if you're hungry, to join us downstairs for dinner in two hours."

With that, Nico left Percy alone, for which the kitten was more than grateful. There was a lot to take in. Platonic kittens? He had never heard anything like this before. A Dog Huma taking in Cat Humas just to protect them? That Nico would offer this – and offer to forget the lie. Because as angry as Percy was about how Nico had treated him, Percy was fully aware that Nico had the right to be furious with Percy. Percy had lied about his status and if that would have come to light, Nico could have been tried as a co-conspirator. He was known to fight for Cat Huma rights, after all and there were enough who would try to use this against Nico and get him locked away. Hiding an unmated Cat Huma was against the law. Nico hadn't even _mentioned_ it. He had only said how it had irritated him to know something was wrong, but he hadn't said that he was angry to know what it was Percy was hiding – only that he was relieved to know the truth. Nico was a strange man indeed.

/break\

After a refreshing nap, Percy gathered his bravery to go downstairs. He was feeling rather starved and he was more than curious to learn more. Meet more people. He had met both Nico's sisters before and they both were rather nice. Hazel especially. She was very sweet. Her mate Frank however, he was a little intimidating. Percy had been afraid of him for the first weeks until he first saw Frank interact with Hazel and what an adorable loyal puppy Frank was for his mate.

"Wo—oah", yelped Percy as he slipped on the last step.

His knees were still wobbly and the way to the stairs alone had been ridiculous. Before he could hit the ground, he was gathered up in strong arms. His velvet ears were flat against his skull as he stared up at Nico, who looked at him in concern. Instead of lifting Percy up into his arms and carrying him like a damsel in distress, Nico cautiously slung an arm around Percy's waist to support him. Blushing a little, Percy wrapped one arm around Nico's neck to hold himself upright.

"Are you alright with this?", asked Nico unsure, making Percy pause and frown at him. "You were always very... uncomfortable with Dog Humas close. So, I just wanna make sure..."

"...It really freaks me out that you're nice to me", muttered Percy and shook his head. "I—It's alright though. I mean, I was mainly so uncomfortable because I was afraid of being found out."

Nodding in understanding, Nico helped Percy over to the dining room. Hazel and Frank were sitting at one head of the long table, with Leo in their mid. Bianca and Thalia were sitting opposite them. At one of the lengths sat Cecil and Lou, followed by Reyna and her kittens Annabeth and Piper sat opposite Octavian and his kittens Jason and Luke. Next to Octavian were Ethan with his kitten Alabaster. Percy frowned uncomfortably as Nico guided him to sit between Alabaster and Nico as Nico sat down on his older sister's empty side, getting kissed on the cheek.

"You're up", observed Annabeth, looking pleased. "We were worried when we heard you collapsed. It's why Pipes and I bugged Reyna into coming here and checking on you, Seaweed Brain."

Percy smiled faintly at the kitten he considered one of his few friends. "Thank you, for worrying."

"That's nothing you need to say thank you for", chided Piper and got out of her seat to walk over.

She brushed her cheek against his and licked up a stripe. Percy blinked sluggishly. It had been a long time since he had last accepted affections without being high on suppressants that made it impossible for him to react to it on instinct. Right now however, both Percy and Piper were purring. Percy blushed in embarrassment, especially as his tail started whipping about.

"Don't scare us like that again", demanded Piper in a motherly tone.

"For now, eat", ordered Hazel with a kind smile.

There was a vast variety of food spread all over the table and everyone seemed to be staring at Nico expectantly. Nico smiled pleased as he lifted up his wine glass, followed by the others.

"I'm very grateful to have Perseus among us and I'd like to have a toast to his health", offered Nico.

"Here, here", agreed the others, glasses chiming.

Percy blushed a little at the attention. It was so weird to him. He was a kitten, but he sat at the table like one of the dominants. And so did the other kittens. They were all treated like equals. It shouldn't surprise him as much as it did, because he had seen it before. He had seen all those dominants be tender and kind to their submissives. He had seen them all treat their pets good.

"So, what do you want to eat?", asked Hazel kindly after a little while.

Everyone already had their servings and most were digging in while Percy still sat in front of an empty plate. Frowning, Percy shifted a little. He still remembered the last time he had eaten with a dominant. He instinctively flinched at the memory, eyes closed.

"Hey", whispered Nico, taking Percy's hand in a disturbingly calming move. "It's alright. If you're not very hungry, you don't have to eat much. And if you don't like anything here, I'll get you anything you want from the kitchen, or we could order something, mh?"

"Oh, sure, Hazel and I just spend three hours in the kitchen, but let's order pizza", muttered Frank.

Leo laughed and nudged his mate, grabbing another piece of chicken. "I'll eat his portion too."

"What a great sacrifice for you, my little lion", teased Hazel amused, kissing Leo's ear.

"...I'm not used to this", admitted Percy, voice very soft.

"To the di Angelos? Believe me, one does never get used to that", sighed Octavian dramatically.

Percy's breath hitched as he shook his head. "T—To eating _at_ the table with... dominants?"

Suddenly, the light atmosphere took a far darker and more depressed tone. Most of the kittens had been lucky to be bought right from a young teen age and the worst they had seen had been the facilities where Cat Humas were raised and kept 'safe' until they had owners. Percy yelped, muscles locking down in panic as he was suddenly overthrown by a heap of kittens. Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Thalia, Alabaster, Jason, Luke, Cecil and Lou were all suddenly on top of him, each trying to touch him in some way – which should sound weird and concerning but in the end it was actually a very reassuring and comforting thing. The group had Percy in their middle, in a nearly protective manner. All the kittens were purring, which seemed to lift Percy's mood in a weird way.

"I'm sorry you've had to go through... such things", whispered Annabeth softly.

"But you won't anymore", assured Jason firmly, licking Percy's cheek.

"You will be safe here", promised Luke, nudging Percy with his own face. "No more eating on the floor and getting scrapes like an animal. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Yeah, no kidding. You're like the most fun in that whole boring firm. Aside from Ethan, obviously", agreed Alabaster, patting Percy between the ears.

Nico watched in mild bafflement. To him, Percy had always been _so_ freakishly timid and shy, but he truly did seem to have a second persona, one he felt comfortable enough to show to the other Cat Humas and to Silena, apparently. One that had made the whole di Angelo pride care for him. One that made Nico insanely jealous of the other kittens, because _he_ wanted to know that lovable Percy, not the frightened Perseus. Still, for now Nico was glad that the kittens seemed to care about Percy. Maybe they could sway Percy, convince him to stay right here with them where he would be safe. The thought of Percy – cute, obedient, frightened Percy who always tired his best not to anger any dominant – sitting on the floor, hoping for leftovers like an unloved pet. Regardless of how much Percy's behavior had rubbed Nico the wrong way, he was still a good boy. He didn't deserve to be treated that way. He deserved to be loved and treated right.

"Luke is right", offered Nico softly as the kittens slowly retreated back to their seats. "You will be safe here, I won't let any harm come to you and I won't allow anyone to treat you that way again."

Percy looked at him unsure and doubtful, lower lip caught between sharp fangs. That was probably the reason why Percy usually mumbled and only spoke softly. So he wouldn't have to open his mouth too wide, so he could hide his fangs. Sea-green eyes watched patiently until all the other kittens started eating before he dared to try it himself. And even then he was reluctant.

"Do you like it?", asked Hazel sweetly. "Chicken with cranberry filling is Jason's favorite."

"Guilty", mumbled Jason around a mouthful, getting his head patted by Octavian absentmindedly.

"It's... It's good", nodded Percy cautiously, taking another bite. "Thank you for the meal."

"Absolute no need to say thank you", argued Reyna with a grin. "The di Angelos always have tons."

Percy nodded jerkily, staring at his plate while listening to the others' conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm unsure about the next chapter. Plans for the story had it that it's three chapters, prologue and epilogue. So next chapter would be the last, with Percy staying at the di Angelo's, Nico courting him and them getting together. I maaay be swayed to add two more chapters and go into more detail, what do you think?
> 
> So, next update is gonna be a long awaited request next Wednesday. The winner's prize from my last contest. A Octavian/Luke/Percy story which is gonna be very hurt/comfort-y and smutty.


	4. Adjusting to the di Angelo Pride

_Chapter 3: Adjusting to the di Angelo Pride_

The di Angelo mansion was more beautiful than Percy had anticipated so far. He had seen parts of it already – mainly the kitchen, hall and Nico's office, since Percy was his personal errant boy and he had done a couple personal fetch missions to the mansion when Nico forgot something or when he needed something from the office for home during the weekend. There were more bedrooms than Percy thought necessary for a hotel, much less a home, the living room was gigantic, there was an entertainment room where a flat-screen covering an entire wall (really, more like a small theater), a games room – actually, two games rooms, one filled with electronics and another with a pool table and dart board – as well as an indoor pool. The indoor pool being where Percy was at the moment. Not that he was swimming; he didn't have clothes or anything, after all. He just sat at the edge with his legs dangling into the cool water. He jumped a little when the door opened.

"There you are! You know, Nico is a little worried, no one has seen you all day."

Percy blinked slowly as he turned toward Leo. The other kitten walked over to him, brown bushy tail whipping behind his body. Leo tilted his head curiously as he sat down next to Percy.

"Sorry about disappearing like that... It's just... so much?", whispered Percy with a frown and a shrug. "And I don't... really know anyone here. I'm not... comfortable."

"For that, you'd need to get to know us", offered Leo amused. "But I get it, okay? Nico hasn't been the kindest to you so far, Bianca, Hazel and Frank are all also Dog Humas, you don't know Thalia, Cecil, Lou and me yet. But Nico offered you to stay here for a week and get to know us all and think about staying, so... how about you give us a chance, Percy?"

Frowning, Percy pulled his legs out of the water and wrapped his arms around them. "Can't... Can't Annie and Piper and Luke and Jay and Alabaster come... and... like... visit...?"

Leo grinned mischievously as he got an idea. "Let me take care of this, Percy."

/break\

As evening rolled around, Percy was outside at the pond. Again with his legs dangling in the water. Nico was watching him from his office window. Nico had generally tried to keep an eye on Percy, but he had been as good as vanished between after breakfast and the later afternoon. To explore the property, as he claimed, but Nico was pretty sure it was more to hide from everyone. Leo had come visit Nico in his office about two hours prior – a rare occasion. As long as Nico wasn't with Hazel, he was very uninteresting for the Latino kitten. What Leo had to say was rather interesting however. Apparently, Percy wasn't comfortable because he knew no one – well, no one he had a good relationship with, anyway. So the logical conclusion would be to invite those he knew over. And it made a lot of sense, considering that last night at the dinner and afterward, Percy had opened up some. He seemed more relaxed around the other kittens he had already befriended.

"Nico, your guests are here", announced Bianca as she entered the room, an amused smile on her face. "Ah. You're watching your kitten again, mh? And now you're willing to 'endure' Ethan and Octavian even in your free time, well, the kitten seems to mean a lot to you."

"Stop teasing me, Bianca", sighed Nico annoyed as he walked past her.

"Not teasing. Just observing and pointing out facts", replied Bianca with a smirk.

She sauntered out and Nico followed after a little while. Reyna, Annabeth, Piper, Ethan, Alabaster, Octavian, Luke and Jason were standing in the hall, looking at him curiously. Octavian looked mainly annoyed and it was pretty clear that he was only here because of Luke and Jason.

"Thank you for coming", started Nico slowly. "I really appreciate it. It's just... Percy was far more settled and comfortable when all of you were here and he's been skittish and hiding ever since you left. I was hoping that the five of you may be able to help him settle in, get him comfortable and perhaps encourage him to at least befriend Thalia, Leo, Cecil and Lou. Please."

"That is absolutely no problem", declared Jason eagerly, exchanging a look with Piper.

"Uhu. Where is he? We're gonna go and talk to him", grinned Piper, linking fingers with Annabeth.

"He's outside, at the pond. He seems... to feel drawn to water", mused Nico. "Ethan, Octavian, Reyna, I'm going to show you your rooms so you can get settled all the while?"

"Mine better be as far away from everyone as possible", sighed Octavian annoyed.

"It's gonna be like a slumber party. Like in the old days, mh?", chuckled Reyna fondly.

Nico had to laugh at that and nodded sharply before leading the way.

/break\

In the evening, after dinner, Percy found himself in the entertainment room, curled together with Annabeth, Piper, Luke, Jason, Alabaster, Thalia, Leo, Cecil and Lou. So, basically, the entire room was covered in kittens and everyone had to inevitably cozy up to each other. Percy had his head resting on Luke's lap, so did Jason. Leo and Piper were laying the closest to them, Jason having his legs in Thalia's lap as she was whispering with Luke. Alabaster, Cecil and Lou were snuggled up not far away too and Annabeth was laying behind Piper, half asleep already.

"...What are we doing here?", asked Percy a little confused, turning his head to look at Piper who was practically laying half on top of him, just like Leo was with Jason. "I mean... uh..."

"We're bonding", replied Luke amused, caressing Percy's hair. "We'd like for you to be part of our pride. We befriended you when we were at our mates' workplace, but now that we know what you are, I guess it was a mutual draw. You were feeling drawn to us because we are Cat Humas, just like you and you have been without a pride for... what I assume to be a long time. Regardless of your suppressants, you still have basic instincts that you can't fully suppress."

"And... And what does a pride _do_?", asked Percy unsure, looking up at the blonde.

"...So you never had a pride before?", asked Thalia a little horrified. "A pride provides comfort and community. Safety. A sense of family. That's what a pride does. Be there for each other."

"...That... sounds... nice", admitted Percy after a moment, snuggling up a bit more to Piper.

"It does", agreed Piper with a grin. "And if you want to be a part of this pride, we'd be happy. Even if you decide you don't wish to stay here or become Nico's, we'd still accept you here."

Percy just blinked doe-eyed at Piper before curling back down against Luke's side and focusing on the movie for now. It was only his second day here, but he already felt so welcomed and safe. Not just from the other kittens. The dogs treated him respectfully too. They steered clear of him; not fully avoiding him but making sure that at least another kitten was in the room with them so he wouldn't feel threatened. They had given him a beautiful, spacious room with his own bedroom, let him wander the grounds of the entire mansion without restraints or boundaries. They gave him good food, seemed to care for him – they said the kitten doctor would come tomorrow morning to check up on him again. They wanted to give him a chance at a peaceful life. No more hiding, no more fear. He wanted that. He also really wanted to be part of this pride, with those people he liked.

/break\

Will Solace was purring obnoxiously loudly and it was starting to give Nico a headache. The blonde sat on the bed with his legs crossed, fingers running through Percy's hair in a praising and pleased manner. Percy's ears were twitching but he still leaned into the touch.

"You're healing very well", declared Will pleased. "I think you'll be up and running in a few days again. I'd advise light exercises, maybe a couple walks. Fresh air will be good for you." Then, all of a sudden, the catboy turned sharp eyes on Nico. "You will watch out for him, you hear me? No more bad drugs, make sure he takes better care of himself! I'm holding you responsible, di Angelo."

Nico sighed and nodded obediently before showing Will the way out, where Jake was already waiting for his kitten to take him home. Taking a deep breath outside, he noticed that it really was a nice, sunny day. Maybe going outside with Percy would be a good plan for the day? Determined, Nico returned to Percy's room where the catboy was still sitting in the exact same spot.

"Would... Would you like to go out?", inquired Nico. "I could take you to your place, we'll get some clothes and stuff for you. You've been wearing the exact same clothes since you got here."

Percy frowned and wiggled his nose. "...I don't want you to see my place."

"It can't be that bad", laughed Nico and offered Percy his arm.

It was that bad. An hour later, the two of them were standing in a one room apartment. A rat-hole, really. There was a mattress on the floor, clothes in a hamper in the corner. A microwave in another corner, which seemed to make up the entire kitchen. A shelf above the mattress seemed to contain all the belongings Percy possessed. Nico understood why Percy hadn't wanted for him to see this.

"Perseus...", started Nico slowly, displeased, while Percy packed some clothes. " _Please_ pack everything. I'm... I'm begging you, please. This isn't... Not even an animal should live like this, much less you. Please move in with us. Even if you don't want to become mine legally... Even if you want an entire wing of the mansion for yourself for privacy, please don't stay here."

"...What's it matter to you?", asked Percy confused, tilting his head.

"I told you. I care. And I'm sorry about how I acted", shrugged Nico awkwardly, ears twitching nervously. "Look, I'm not trying to gain anything for this. I know you'll have a hard time believing this, but this is solemnly about you. I just want you to... to not live in constant fear or dread or... or a shithole like this! You deserve so much better, Perseus. Let me help you, please."

And wow, Percy had never seen them before, but Nico's puppy-eye-game was strong. Really strong. The large, dark, honest eyes, the floppy ears, the wagging tail. Damn it. Then again, Percy really wanted this. He had only spend a few conscious days at the mansion so far, but it felt more like home than any place before. And in the case of Nico abusing Percy's trust, Percy would have to ditch this place and life anyway, so why not just take everything with him right now?

"Fine", agreed Percy with a small sigh. "But if this doesn't work out, I'm out of here."

/break\

The one week testing was nearly over, Percy had moved his stuff in three days ago and he was honestly happy. It freaked him out that he felt that happy here, like it was a home. By now, he had even befriended Leo, Thalia, Cecil and Lou – though Leo more so than the others. And he was immensely grateful to Ethan, Octavian and Reyna for taking a one week vacation in the casa di Angelo, just so Percy could be close and reassured by their kittens too. Percy was even relatively comfortable around the Dog Humas at this point. More or less. It was easier when another Cat Huma was around, of course, but earlier today, Percy had been cooking with Hazel and Frank, without another kitten in the room. Sure, the door had been open and it was a wide, open space so Percy could have bolted if he so desired. And right now, everyone was gathered for lunch. Well, everyone meaning the kittens, Frank and Hazel, since all others were at work.

"This is really incredible, Percy", praised Annabeth as she ate the soup. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah, very", agreed the others with varying degrees of compliments and praise.

Percy smiled, blushed and ducked his head, ears flat against his skull. He wasn't used to positive encouragement anymore. His room was even relatively homey at this point, he had put all his things away and he even had new clothes now. Bianca and Hazel had taken him out shopping, bringing Leo, Annabeth and Piper with them too. Though Percy had insisted on paying everything himself, so they hadn't exactly visited the stores the di Angelo girls had wanted to go to. But Percy declined their offer to pay, seeing as they refused to take rent from him. He was not going to smooch off of them entirely. Still, the new clothes felt good. Sharing meals – properly cooked meals, not instant meals out of his microwave – with others felt good. Having a bed was heavenly. Having a pride? It was the most amazing feeling he had ever experienced. When him, Thalia and Luke were doing the dishes together afterward while Leo, Jason and Piper lazed about and joked around, Percy honestly made his decision. He had been craving this kind of life for so long now.

/break\

Nico was leaning over his last papers for the night. His dinner was a re-heated version of everyone else's lunch, though he couldn't quite concentrate on it because he had his head in his work, though he noted that the tomato soup tasted way better than usual. Hazel had a habit of over-salting soup – and no one was brave enough to point that out to her. This one however even had a slight hint of garlic in it and seemed far more creamy than usual too. A knocking on the door interrupted him.

"Yes? Come on in", sighed Nico exhausted, not really feeling like being interrupted, though he visibly perked up when Percy entered the room. "Ah. Good evening, Perseus. How are you?"

"Good. Good", nodded Percy awkwardly as he stepped up to the Dog Huma. "Really. I'm feeling much better. I think... I mean, it's Friday, so... but... I'd like to go back to work come Monday? I missed an entire week already and you know, my boss is a real hard-ass."

There was a slightly playful grin on his face and Nico was positive his heart skipped a beat, because Percy was aiming that grin at him – and the progress Percy had made over these past five days was so astounding to Nico. "Yeah. Sure. If you're sure you're ready to come back, I'm not going to stop you. I told you, I want you to live here to grand you freedom, not to control you."

"That's... reassuring to hear again", hummed Percy and shifted slightly. "Because I want to stay. For... good. I mean, if you... screw me over, I'm outta here without any of you even noticing. Until then however, I... want to give this a try. The... platonic pet thing you offered."

"Really?", asked Nico, this time knowing his heart set out for a moment. "Sure. Okay. Let's go."

"...Go where?", asked Percy and squinted down at the work and food on Nico's table.

"Get you a collar, get you registered. Come, come. Don't waste time", urged Nico on eagerly.

Percy wanted to protest, because Nico was clearly working and trying to get at least one warm meal into himself. Before Percy could voice his protest, Nico was pushing him out of the room.

"It's already past seven in the evening, Nico", argued Percy as Nico grabbed their coats.

"Have you met me? I'm one of the most influential top dogs in this state. If I want a registry on a Sunday at eleven PM, they'd open up for me", huffed Nico and straightened his back. "Come."

"Why are you so excited?", asked Percy disturbed while Nico gave his chauffeur a call.

Hanging up, Nico looked at Percy with a very untypical smile. "Because I want to make it up to you, Perseus. I want to make up for how I behaved before. I... what I saw of you so far, since you came here, I really like. I like you, you don't deserve all the pain and fear. No one does."

/break\

It was more unceremonious than Percy had assumed, to be honest. Then again, Nico had the money to make questions like 'Where did you acquire the Cat Huma?' disappear. A signature and a handshake later and Percy was officially Nico di Angelo's pet and the two of them were led downstairs to the pet shop where a guy in a penguin suit showed them around.

"Which collar would you like for your pet?", inquired the penguin-suited stuck-up man.

"I think one of the blue ones", offered Nico, a protective hand on Percy's lower back.. "Something with a bell. You do keep sneaking up on me, after all. What kind of collar would you like?"

"...Mh?", grunted Percy confused and looked up at the Dog Huma.

"It's your collar. You're the one going to wear it, so what do you want?", repeated Nico.

Percy frowned as he looked at the display of like a hundred different blue collars alone and the ones with the bell the salesman was pointing at right now. "I... don't want one with a bell. I... like sneaking up on you. You're always so composed and have everything under surveillance, it's a lot of fun startling you and seeing that I can actually sneak past your observations."

"Very well. No bell then", laughed Nico amused. "Wouldn't want to take your fun away."

Percy looked doubtful for a moment, but Nico meant it, as he had meant everything so far. "This... This one. The blue, it reminds me of my mom's eyes. And just... a simple silver tag?"

Nico nodded and motioned for the one Percy had picked. "This one. Perseus on the front, my name, address and phone number on the back. So no one could mistake you for a street cat, mh?"

Percy nodded relieved, watching how his chosen collar got taken to the back of the room to be engraved once Nico passed a slip of paper with the needed information. While that was happening, Nico led Percy along through the isles to look at the various other cat-related things on display.

"Anything else you want?", asked Nico carefully. "Since the mansion will be your _home_ now, I figure it's time you add your own personal touch. As you may have noticed, all other kittens have their own... pillows and cat beds all over the place, as their own places of refugee. You need your own space too, Perseus. Not just your own room. A spot to mark as yours in the living room."

"You're not buying me anything", warned Percy with a hooded glare. "Not a charity case."

"Yes, my sisters already warned me that you won't take anything from us", sighed Nico.

"You let me stay at your place and refuse to take rent. You buy the meals on the tables. I'm not having you buy my personal things", hissed the kitten softly. "I have a job with which I have been paying my own things, my rent and my own food. If you take food and rent from me, I have enough left over to buy some damn pillows for myself, di Angelo."

Nico had that dorky, happy grin on his face again, the one he always used when Percy lashed out or argued with him. Honestly, Percy would probably never understand what was going on in that weird Dog Huma's mind, but he also had to admit that he kind of really enjoyed that dorky grin.

"That's totally okay, Perseus", assured Nico fondly. "Then buy the things you want with your own money, but please buy something. Saying you want my home to be your home is one thing, but actually _making_ it your home too is the most important part, Perseus."

Biting his lips, Percy kept looking around and reluctantly picking a few pillows and nests to spread throughout the mansion. Nico looked oddly pleased by the amount of things Percy had picked by the time the salesman returned with the collar. Nico hastily took it from the stranger before he could put it on Percy's neck. And even though Nico was chanting in his head that this wasn't what it was, that it was his collar, but it iddn't mean what it was supposed to mean, that Percy wasn't _his_. That didn't damper the joy jolting through his body as the collar clicked shut around Percy's neck.

"There", whispered Nico into a velvety black ear. "No more fear. You can walk the streets without hiding who you are. No one will lock you up anywhere or hurt you again. I promise."

Percy couldn't help the flutter of his heart as he heard those words, because coming from Nico, it was hard not to believe them. Nico had always been honest with him, right from the start. Even though he hadn't been kind to Percy, he had always been honest with Percy. So if Nico truly promised Percy to keep him safe, then Percy would be safe with Nico.

"So... can we... go back home then?", asked Percy unsure as they went to pay.

"It's already late and my dinner is probably already cold", sighed Nico mournfully. "Can I convince you to go and get some pizza with me? Flaunt that tail and those ears around in public some?"

The thought was thrilling and terrifying – and Percy was really hungry. He found himself nodding sharply before he had even properly processed the words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, you do get two more chapters! So, prologue, 5 chapters and epilogue it is. Next chapter will be cute, because Nico is gonna take care of Percy. And Percy is gonna take care of Nico. As good as they are at taking care of those they love, both suck at taking care of themselves, after all. Also, slowly blossoming feelings ahead. ;)
> 
> And in other good news! I'm going to post a new story on Saturday, it'll be called "Mischief Makers and Dragon Riders" and focus on the pairings Nicercy and HiJack to equal parts. Yes, HiJack as in Hiccup Haddock and Jack Frost. Jack is a son of Khione and new at camp and instantly befriended the demigod who brought him there - Percy Jackson. Nico all the while finds himself roped into a quest to bring a group of dragon riding demigods all the way from Europe to teach the Americans that dragons aren't mindless monsters. On said quest, Nico befriends the leader of the dragon riders - Hiccup Haddock.
> 
> And in other-other good news, I will be posting the last installment of my Lover of Olympus series next Wednesday, so expect "The Queen of Olympus" in a week. ;)


	5. Opening Up and Moving On

_Chapter 4: Opening Up and Moving On_

Needless to say, Percy's reveal to be a Cat Huma was a shock to most at the firm, but Nico covered it so nicely by spinning a tale about Percy having been his all along and them hiding it so he wouldn't get any special treatment. Silena spend about half an hour cooing at him and patting his head. He enjoyed it and munched on cookies. After that, things got back to relatively normal. His relationship with the other kittens had grown into a proper friendship – he was part of their pride now. He'd play with Jason and Alabaster, curl together next to Luke on the couch when things got a little too exhausting, he would go down to the other floor to sit and chat with Annabeth and Piper.

The biggest change however was Nico. Percy was still mainly running errands for him and the other partners, like right now where he brought them dinner since they were all working late on one of their biggest cases. Ethan absentmindedly patted him on the head in praise, Octavian (who really hadn't changed at all) just grunted in acknowledgment and Nico?

"Thank you, Perseus", said Nico as he locked eyes with Percy and smiled warmly. "Have a seat?"

"...What?", asked Percy confused, but he found himself obeying.

"There's a lot fried chicken and noodles here, I thought you must be hungry too?", offered Nico.

Again, he smiled at Percy so kindly and pushed a set of chopsticks over at Percy. That was the big change in Nico. He was being nice. Not trying to fool Percy nice, but genuinely nice for the sake of being nice to Percy. Not because he was feeling guilty anymore, but because he seemed to like Percy. Grinning nearly shyly, Percy started to eat and sighed relieved. He hadn't eaten since breakfast because with the partners working like crazy, Percy's workload too kept him busy through his lunch break. Relaxing on the chair, Percy pulled his legs up and curled together a little.

"You've been working hard too today", stated Nico softly. "You took great care of us, still worked your ass off for the other partners, never missing a beat. You need to take care of yourself too."

"I guess I'm not that good at that", shrugged Percy awkwardly, munching on chicken.

"That's what you got me for now", smiled Nico before blushing. "I mean, us. The pride too."

Percy smiled reluctantly and stole some of the broccoli from another box.

/break\

About three months into Percy's stay at the estate, Nico first _truly_ noticed just how indispensable Percy really had grown for him. It was a late night on a Saturday, Nico was working hard on an even harder case. He needed this to be straight and narrow by the time Monday rolled around. The sun had set a little while ago and Nico was growing more and more tired. He absentmindedly grabbed for his coffee mug, even though he knew the coffee inside had grown cold and stale hours ago because it was still from breakfast. There must be a plate with a half-eaten croissant somewhere on the table too, most likely covered by documents at this point. He hissed and cursed as he burned his mouth on the unexpectedly hot coffee. After the initial shock, he noticed how good the coffee tasted. He normally only got coffee that good at work, where Percy was in charge of the coffee pot. Here, normally whoever drank coffee made it and since Percy himself didn't drink coffee, he never made it. Blinking surprised, Nico looked up and looked around. First thing he spotted was a plate with a sandwich on it and the second thing he spotted was a sleeping Percy, curled together on one of his nests. When Percy first asked if he could leave one of his nests in Nico's office, the Italian had been surprised and overjoyed at the same time, since it was a big deal. Percy had tried to rationalize that he spend a lot of time here, getting things for Nico and all. Nico would never argue with Percy on that, he had promised Percy he could get as comfortable as he wanted to. Nico's eyes softened as he reached out with one hand to pat Percy between the ears. The touch woke the catboy and sea-green eyes stared blearily and tiredly up at Nico. A little startled, Nico retrieved his hand and used it to push the plate of sandwich out of the way to reach some documents. A sudden loud growl interrupted the motion, making Nico jump just the slightest bit. There was suddenly a lot of irritated catboy all up in his face, decidedly pushing the plate back toward Nico.

"You skipped lunch. You skipped dinner. When I cleaned the plate from breakfast earlier, there was still half a croissant on it", growled Percy, ears threateningly flat against his skull. "You will stop working now, long enough to eat this sandwich. There will be no argument about this."

For a moment, Nico glared up at Percy and the Cat Huma nearly flinched, afraid that this time, he had overstepped his boundaries. He was still waiting for it. Waiting for the moment Nico would snap. Instead, Nico huffed and slumped down on his chair, grabbing the plate and pulling it close.

Once he took a bite, he hummed in appreciation. "Is that... turkey? This is really good."

"Turkey with Parmesan, fresh salad and a yogurt dressing, because I know you prefer salad dressing on your sandwiches", confirmed Percy with a smile, taking the plate away from Nico.

"Wait. Where are you taking my food?", asked Nico, looking like a kicked puppy.

"You'd eat it while still working. Don't think I didn't see your eyes flickering over the pages. You, come here, on the couch, eat in peace. Take a _break_ ", ordered Percy firmly.

The catboy sat down pointedly, with the plate on his lap, staring at Nico seriously. The Italian smiled a little and walked over to Percy to sit down next to him and take his sandwich back before basically inhaling it. It was absolutely _perfect_. Just the way Nico loved it. Percy was observant like that. He knew exactly how Nico loved his tea, his coffee, his sandwiches. Everything.

"Once you've eaten and drank something that is neither coffee nor an energy drink, you will rest for like at least five more minutes without doing anything and then you're allowed to work again", declared Percy cheekily, tilting his head and watching Nico with those giant cat eyes of his. "And then, I will help you so you get to sleep some too tonight. Unlike last night."

"I told you before", sighed Nico, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "You don't have to work here. It's my home, if I decide to do after hours all weekend, that is my problem."

"You... said that", confirmed Percy, blinking slowly. "But you also said that this is my home too, right? So... if I decide that I want to help you on my weekend, then that's my problem."

"...You've really grown comfortable here, huh?", asked Nico fondly and in awe.

Percy blushed a little bit and ducked his head. "It's... It's my h—home. It feels that way. I like being here. I like being with you – with all of you. It feels like... family. I always wanted... that."

Nodding slowly, Nico took another bite of his way too delicious sandwich. "What... about your family, Percy? You... haven't talked about your life before moving in here at all. But you mentioned that... the color of your collar reminds you of your mother's eyes, so... you knew her?"

There was a very long stretch of silence. So long that Nico had finished the second half of his first sandwich (Percy had made two, because Nico hadn't eaten at all). But Nico patiently waited and watched Percy and the turmoil swirling through those gorgeous sea-green eyes.

"When... When I was a kit", started Percy slowly, voice raw and low. "H—He bought us. Said he wanted a family. The shop was more than grateful. Mom wasn't the youngest cat anymore and no one wants to buy kids. My mom, she was... kind and beautiful and loved me. But he, he wasn't any of those things. He just wanted me to make money of me. Kittens are worth most when they've just reached their mating age and are virgins. So he figured he'd buy a kid cheap, wait it out and sell me for a ton of money. Mom took care of the household, of me, of... him. When I reached my mating age, I was... so... afraid. He invited all those men. Disgusting men. Creepy men." Percy paused to take a shaky breath, closing his eyes tightly. "There was... a lot of touching. Touching I didn't want. And... a lot crying. I don't really... remember a lot about the day I turned off age. I just remember my mother kissing my forehead and helping me sneak out. I... heard, later on, that... she didn't... make it. I ran and I left her behind and she died to protect me. I haven't stopped running ever since. I've lived in about four dozen different places in the past five years, give or take. All I knew... was that I had to hide. I had to keep running and stay safe, because my mom died for that."

"You don't have to run anymore", whispered Nico softly, taking Percy's shaky hands into his own and holding them safely. "You found a safe place without having to run."

"I... have", agreed Percy, cautiously peeking out at Nico before clearing his throat. "So... work."

"Ah, yes. Work", nodded Nico, accepting the change of topic.

/break\

"Time to drag Nico out of his office for the day", declared Bianca, putting her glass down.

She was in the library, playing chess with Octavian. Somehow, after that 'one week to help Percy settle', no one moved out. Everyone had fallen into that comfortable togetherness. Octavian grunted displeased, because he was so close to winning. Annabeth got up from where she was laying with her head in Reyna's lap and reading to take Bianca's seat. Octavian settled down, apparently pleased by his replacement opponent, his hand going down to caress Jason's head. Jason sat at Octavian's feet, playing a board game with Piper and Leo. The blonde Cat Huma started purring, pushing his head up against his lover's touch, ears twitching curiously every now and again.

"Unwillingly agreed", sighed Hazel and made a face as she too got up.

She had been watching Frank lose horrendously to Alabaster, Ethan, Cecil and Lou in a game of Mythomagic. Now, normally Nico would never pass up a chance to kick all their asses in this. Tonight however was one of those nights where Nico buried himself in his work all day long. Luke and Thalia were off, most likely scheming of sorts. The only one unaccounted for was Percy.

"You gonna need help dragging your brother to bed?", asked Frank absentmindedly.

"No, no. We'll manage", chimed Hazel with a pleased smile and led the way.

Though as they opened the door to Nico's office and entered, they realized they had come here for naught. The floor was covered in books and papers, the screen-safer on Nico's laptop was showing a best off of family and vacation pictures and in the center of it all were Nico and Percy, deep asleep. They were curled around each other, Percy curled together so tightly, while Nico was wrapped around him, holding him in a nearly protective embrace, like Percy was his most treasured possession and he had to keep the kitten safe even in his sleep. Smiling knowingly, the sisters silently closed the door again and returned to the library, leaving the boys to their sleep.

/break\

It was the following Monday, after Percy and Nico spend all Sunday working hard on the case to close it, that the three siblings met for lunch. Nico deserved the treat and he also enjoyed rubbing it into Ethan's and Octavian's faces, seeing as the two of them were as of today biting their teeth out on a hard case. It stopped feeling like a treat when both his sisters zoomed in on him with identical wicked and mischievous looks. They send a shiver down Nico's spine.

"What did I do this time?", asked Nico once they placed their orders.

Bianca smirked knowingly and sipped her red wine. "We wanted to force you to go to bed Saturday night, but we found you already deep asleep. A rare occasion, considering we're talking about you."

"And you were cuddling our local unmated kitten", added Hazel with the broadest grin.

"Yes. Perseus was very... adamant about helping me", laughed Nico, leaning back against his seat. "I always told him he didn't have to work late just because I decided to work late at home. But on Saturday, he told me that this is is home too and if he decides to help me working, then I would have to accept it. He's... one of a kind, really. I could hardly deny him after that."

"You want to court him", stated Bianca simply, locking eyes with her brother.

"I'd want to. But I won't", replied Nico, hands folded in front of him.

"W—What?", stammered Hazel surprised. "Why not? You're clearly interested in him!"

"And he's only now starting to open up and feel at home at our place", countered Nico with a frown. "I got him to move in with us by promising him that it would all be just platonic, that he wouldn't have to do any such other things. If I were to court him now, he would start feeling pressured and cornered. Either he'd feel obliged to accept my courting because he enjoys staying at our place too much to lose it again, or he'll feel betrayed by me and he'll run away so we'll never see him again, or, the mildest outcome, things will become awkward between us and he won't feel safe anymore."

Bianca's eyes softened in a sad way and she took a heavy sigh. "You may have a point there..."

"What? Don't agree with him! Don't encourage him!", exclaimed Hazel displeased.

"He's right though, mia sorellina, Percy has taken the past two months to stop freezing every time one of us Dog Humas enter the room. What Nico just said, it's the first time in the past three months that Percy referred to our mansion as his home. He's growing more comfortable, but he is still not truly settled. At every meal, he still waits until not just we but also the other kittens started eating before he even as much as touches his food. If Nico starts courting him now, chances are that Percy will really see it as being pushed and trapped. It may make Percy run away."

Hazel deflated and pouted. "But... Percy is perfect for Nico. They'd be happy and amazing together. This isn't fair. Nico would totally help Percy heal, right? So... what do we do now...?"

"We don't do anything", chuckled Bianca and shook her head before pointing at Nico. "You however will slowly ease your way into his life, mh? Not explicitly court him, but... be present in his life, more present than now. Support him, listen to him. Make him feel comfortable and give him more time before you actually start courting him."

Nico nodded jerkily, smiling gratefully at his big sister, glad to have her and her advise.

/break\

Working was so much lighter, so much more fun, now that Percy could actually be who he was. His ears twitched eagerly, enjoying that they didn't have to be confined by a hat, his tail was swinging playfully behind his body as he skipped down the stairs to get to Reyna's office. It was such an immensely free feeling to not have to hide who he was anymore, no more fear of being found out.

"Reyna, Nico sends me to get the case file from you?", said Percy as he entered the large office.

Reyna's office was right below that of the named partners. She looked up from her computer, taking in the errand boy. Percy was bouncing on his feet a bit, one hand holding onto the door frame, the other instinctively playing with the tag on his collar. A habit that Percy had picked up as soon as he got his collar, to reassure himself that it was still there, that he was still safe to show what he was.

"...Did he specify what case file?", asked Reyna a bit annoyed.

"The...", started Percy and frowned. "Uhm, the file of your sister? Said he wanted to help you."

Reyna's facial expression softened at that. Her sister Hylla, even though they didn't talk too often, had contacted her for some legal advise. She ran the biggest online shopping center, but due to someone screwing something up, she had a bit of a legal mess at her hands at the moment. Reyna however was not a business lawyer. Nico on the other hand specialized in that.

"I will go upstairs and bring it to him myself", declared Reyna and got up. "You're overdue for your lunch break too, aren't you? Why don't you join Piper and Annabeth for lunch while I'm gone?"

Piper and Annabeth looked up from the Italian takeout spread out between them on the table, offering Percy matching grins and waving him over. Percy purred delighted as he slipped between the two girls, all three now sitting close enough to touch. Physical contact was something very comforting for their race. Grinning, Percy stole some meatballs out of the spaghetti.

"You're... much happier these days", pointed Piper out, poking her salad a few times.

"I've... never had the chance to be myself, like I do now. Thanks to...", started Percy softly. "Nico."

"Do you... like him?", asked Annabeth carefully. "I mean, as more than a friend?"

"I like him, as a friend", answered Percy slowly, tilting his head. "I'm still... trying to comprehend how to deal with having friends. I don't know if I'd know if I like him as more than that. A lot has happened in the past four months and I'm still adjusting to it. I don't... I don't have a _mind_ to think past the point of feeling like I finally... finally found a... a... f—family..."

The unsure, softly whispered way he said 'family' made Piper instantly hug him and lick his cheek in a reassuring way. "Yes, you did. No need to worry. You are part of our family now."

Percy started purring along softly as he cuddled up to the two females and they continued to eat.

/break\

Nico watched Percy with amused and fond eyes. They were having a movie night, all of them together. Bianca and Thalia were sharing a love-seat, while Frank, Hazel and Leo were sprawled out on one of the couches they were sharing with Reyna, Annabeth and Piper. Nico sat on the other couch with Cecil and Lou on either of his sides, Lou leaning back against Alabaster, who was cuddled up to Ethan, while Cecil was leaning against Luke, who had an arm wrapped around the younger kitten. Next to Luke sat Octavian, with Jason curled together on his lap. Cecil and Lou were looking up to Luke and Alabaster respectively as big brother figures. Percy sat on the armchair, as he usually did. Even though he enjoyed kitten cuddles when the pride was on their own, he wasn't fond of showing physical affection while the other kittens' dominant mates were around, as though he was still kind of afraid he would get in trouble for it. And so far, he hadn't initiated any physical affections with any of the Dog Humas (not counting the one time he had fallen asleep in Nico's office and both had cuddled up in their sleep. He was still embarrassed about that one). The way Percy was watching the others however clearly showed that Percy too wanted some cuddles. Every kitten was being cuddled or patted in some kind of way.

"If you want cuddles, you... can come here", offered Nico softly, looking at Percy. "If you want."

He put his hands on either side of his body, to indicate both sides of him because he didn't want to seem like he was ordering Percy somewhere. It took Percy a few minutes before he got up and even though most were good at hiding it, all eyes were watching him curiously. Somehow, Nico having his hands left and right of his body to pat both spots in offer, seemed to imply something else for Percy though, because all of a sudden, Nico had a lap full of kitten. He stiffened for a moment, staring down at Percy and holding his breath so not to startle the catboy.

"Is... this... okay?", asked Percy unsure, looking up at Nico from beneath his lashes when he noticed that Nico wasn't moving at all and breathing very shallowly. "I—I can... move?"

"No", interrupted Nico hastily, relaxing a little. "It's fine. It's okay. I was just... surprised?"

Percy shrugged and averted his eyes to stare at the TV, refusing to explain himself. And how could he? Was he supposed to tell Nico that being close to him made Percy feel safe and protected and cared for? That when he had woken up on the floor of Nico's office, with Nico's arms tightly wrapped around him, he had slept better than ever before in his life? That he craved that feeling ever since that night? And that, worst of all, he didn't even _understand_ what it meant. He was so frustrated and confused by the conflict of his feelings, his thoughts and his instincts. His primal instinct of being an unmated Cat Huma told him to seek the shelter and protection of the unmated dominant who was offering it. His survival instincts that he had learned the hard way told him to never seek physical contact with a Dog Huma, because it only ended in pain. His heart told him that Nico would never hurt him. His brain told him that he had only known the nice Nico for about four months now and before that, Nico had been cold and angry with him, so logic said that he still didn't know Nico well enough to be sure he wouldn't hurt him. It was all too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, there will be courting and mating and happiness all around! Well, also a tiny bit angst, but hey, with Percy's past that's a given.
> 
> Next update will be "Dragon Riders and Mischief Makers" on Saturday!


	6. Finding a Happily Ever After

_Chapter 5: Finding a Happily Ever After_

It was the middle of the night and thunder roared through the sky. That hadn't managed to disturb Nico. Neither had the lightning illuminating his room. No, the simple, soft tapping of familiar feet had. Nico had been laying awake anyway, but he had actually enjoyed it. There was a morbid fascination for storms that had always captured Nico. But the silent sound of Percy's feet on the carpet was enough to interrupt Nico's observations and musings. After living together with Percy for a year, he had _finally_ managed the art of noticing when the catboy was sneaking up on him.

"Nico? Are... you awake?", whispered Percy softly, sounding unsure.

"Yes. Yeah. I'm awake. Wide awake", yawned Nico, blinking blearily up at the catboy. "What's up?"

Percy smiled a bit at Nico before jumping at a specially loud thunder. That was new. No, wait. It wasn't, not really. Percy often had nightmares – many seemed to happen during stormy nights. Had they happened _because_ of the storms? Nico slowly sat up and ruffled his hair a bit.

"Perseus?", whispered Nico a bit more urgently. "Are you alright?"

"I... had a nightmare, but you... didn't... walk past my room and...", started Percy unsure.

Also right. Normally, stormy nights kept Nico on his toes. He'd go downstairs, make himself a nice, hot tea to drink in peace while watching the rain. On his way to the kitchen, he would pass Percy's room, notice the whimpers and yelps, go inside, wake Percy and comfort him. Today however, he had been completely knocked out, both physically and mentally from work.

"Right. No... tea tonight", nodded Nico slowly, yawning widely and stretching. "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for not being there to comfort me. You're my boss", countered Percy.

"I'm also your _friend_ ", argued Nico with a lopsided grin. "And you apparently feel like me comforting you is natural enough that you came to my bedroom at night to wake me."

Percy blushed bright red and averted his eyes with a shrug. "I... You help. But you weren't there. And I was tired and scared, so I followed my instincts. And they led me here..."

"I didn't mean to make you explain yourself", smiled Nico amused. "What do you want, Perseus? Shall I come with you to your room? Would you like some tea, while we're up and awake?"

Nico was cautious about the approach, because this was the first time Percy was inside Nico's bedroom. It was simply something not done, by instincts alone, that an unmated submissive would enter the den of an unmated dominant. It put them into the territory of a predator. So far, it had been Nico entering Percy's bedroom, Percy's territory and thus Percy's control. Right now however, Percy was not just standing in Nico's bedroom in the middle of the night, he was looking at Nico's bed downright longingly. Nico casually slid over a bit to make more room.

"Do you wanna stay?", offered Nico after another moment.

Percy was inside his bed within the blink of an eye, bolting under the covers to curl up around Nico. The Dog Huma smiled pleased, tail wagging as he started caressing Percy's hair. Sleeping in one bed was at this point not too unusual. It had taken some time for Percy to accept as much as cuddling and cooing over nightmares, but with time and trust built by their interactions on a daily base, Nico was allowed to hold Percy until the catboy was calmed down and asleep. A few times later and Nico accidentally also fell asleep because it was exhausting to comfort someone through nightmares. Another few weeks passed and it because kind of a regular thing that whenever Nico found Percy having a nightmare, he would spend the night in Percy's bed, holding him and making sure the nightmare wouldn't come back. Nico was ridiculously proud that after all these months, Percy was trusting him enough to come to him for help instead of silently suffering and hoping Nico would come by in passing. Percy was a wonderful person, but he had a pride problem. He didn't ask for help, he didn't ask for _anything_ because he didn't want to be a burden. He didn't want to weigh anyone down. On the other hand, Percy was _always_ there when anyone at the mansion or the firm needed help with anything, he was always willing to do everything for everyone. Now, if only Nico would be able to convince Percy to actually _tell_ him about the nightmares.

"Sh, it's alright, mio gattino", cooed Nico softly, tracing Percy's cat ears. "You're safe."

Percy curled together even tighter, hiding his face in Nico's stomach. If only Nico knew how right that was. If he had been confused about his feelings half a year ago, now with all the safety, stability and freedom provided by Nico and the others, he had come to face and evaluate his feelings. The feelings at hand being that he had fallen madly, deeply in love with Nico di Angelo. For as cold and harsh Nico had been toward Percy before knowing the truth, Nico had grown so tender, caring and sweet once the two of them actually got to know each other. Nico was amazing. He was everything Percy had never expected from a dominant. He cared, without demanding anything in return.

"I'm glad you trust me enough to come to me for help", whispered Nico in a praising manner, smoothing Percy's hair down to kiss the top of his head. "That's amazing. I told you, months ago, that I would be there to help you when you need me. Thanks for taking me up on that offer."

"...Stop it", muttered Percy embarrassed, wiggling his nose. "I just... you're comfy, is all."

Snorting amused, Nico gathered Percy up in his arms a little tighter. "Will you... ever tell me what is torturing you like that? Perhaps... talking about it may help you?"

Many minutes of silence passed and Nico was already pretty convinced Percy had simply fallen asleep in his arms before the catboy proved him wrong. "I... told you... about the day. The day I turned off age. The day I left. When... my mom... when she died."

"You did", confirmed Nico, subconsciously pulling Percy closer to know him safe.

"My nightmares are... that... that I didn't make it", admitted Percy, voice raw. "That they catch up to me. That... he sold me. That all of _this_ is some pretty dream I made up in my head to forget the pain. It... varies. Sometimes they're like this, sometimes it's cruel visions of my mom, telling me that I disappointed her. And... sometimes, it's them catching up now. R—Ripping me out of this place and... family that I found. I'm just... I'm just so afraid to lose it all again."

"You won't, Perseus", assured Nico honestly. "No one will take any of this away from you. I'll protect you. I won't allow it. I'll keep you safe, just like I promised you."

"But you're not my mate", pointed Percy out, voice sharp. "You're my owner. You own me through a piece of paper, that's all. Paper can be destroyed. Records can get lost. You can... You can still change your mind. Grow tired of me. Get rid of me. Take this away from me." A sob wrecked his body and he clawed at Nico's chest like it was his lifeline. "The... The major part of me knows you won't. Knows we're friends. Knows I can trust you. But... But there just... there will always be a part of me that will be afraid of betrayal and pain and nothing is going to change that, Nico..."

Percy looked up at him with a guilty expression as though he was expecting Nico to hate him for what he had just said, but all Nico did was kiss Percy's forehead. "I understand that, gattino. You've been through a lot and before us, no one ever actually... gave you a reason to trust them. You've made tremendous improvements over the past year, but you have scars that won't heal so fast, or won't heal at all. And I'm not going to judge you for that. All I can do is... hold you and tell you over and over again that you're safe and that I won't betray the trust you put in me and that at this point, this entire mansion would team up to murder me if I would do such a thing to you, you realize that, right? Including my own sisters and only family. They'd straight up murder me for hurting you."

Percy was sniffing and laughing at once at that, nodding weakly. "T—Thank you, Nico... For..."

"I know", interrupted Nico softly. "And there's no need to thank me. Just... try sleeping some, mh? We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, we should catch at least some sleep, yeah?"

Percy hummed in agreement and closed his eyes, snuggling up to Nico as close as possible.

/break\

A couple days later, Percy felt like walking into the lion's den when returning from a bigger errand for Nico that actually caused him to be the last one to arrive home for the first time. He stiffened as he entered the living room to find literally everyone gathered, even Ethan, Octavian and Reyna. The three sat a bit farther off from the di Angelos and the kittens. Percy's ears twitched, standing upright.

"What... did I do?", asked Percy unsure, eyes flitting around.

"You didn't do anything wrong, honey", cooed Bianca softly. "You're not in trouble, Percy."

"Then what's the intervention for?", inquired Percy doubtfully, stepping a little closer.

"Remember our conversation the other night?", asked Nico, keeping his voice very soft and tender. "When you said that I would grow tired of you at some point and may send you away because I'm not your mate, because I only 'own' you on the paper. I'd like to change that. I want to be your mate. I want to ask your permission to court you, _but_ I don't want you to feel pressured into agreeing, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in your own home because of me either. That's why I invited everyone to be present and to reassure you that whatever you decide won't affect anything else. This is still your home, this is still your pride, saying no to me will not affect anything."

"We're here to assure you that Nico is giving you a choice here, not the illusion of a choice", interrupted Annabeth, a bit annoyed by his babbling. "Say yes, he will court you, say no, he won't and life continues just the way it does right now. No reason for you to run away from your home."

Percy looked overwhelmed and confused, eyes still going erratically fast from one face to the next. "I know I said that I feel like you could dump me because I'm not your mate, but that wasn't meant to push you into becoming my mate, Nico. You don't have to do that."

Nico snorted amused and shook his head. "That's what I came to assure you. Believe me, I know that I don't _have_ to, but I _want_ to. I wanted to court you for nine months now, Perseus. I just... wanted to give you time, wanted you to be settled and feel at home and I never... found the moment that felt right, but when you said, the other night, that I'm not your mate... the way you phrased it, it made me hopeful that maybe, perhaps you _want_ me to be your mate. So... I'm... trying. Asking."

"...I don't understand", admitted Percy confused and sat down opposite Nico.

Nearly instantly, Leo and Annabeth sat down on either of his sides for physical support. Nico sighed softly, searching Percy's face and only seeing confusion and lack of understanding.

"What do you not understand?", asked Bianca compassionately.

"Why would you want to court me?", clarified Percy, looking very lost. "I'm just... me?"

Octavian, Jason, Ethan, Alabaster and Thalia all groaned as a collective at that, having heard the answer to that question hundreds of times in the past half year, but Nico didn't mind them. "You're just you, but you're perfect. You're kind, sweet, hard-working, loyal, caring, you're a great cook and baker and I love every conversation we share. I love the way you smile and laugh, I love how passionate you are about everything you do. I love the way you fit against my body when I hold you. I even love the way you smell, like strawberries and the ocean. I love you and every single thing about you, Perseus. Even the annoying little quirks you have that should drive me insane, they just make me smile because I find them utterly endearing. Because I love you."

It was entertaining to watch how Percy's eyes grew wider and wider with every word Nico spoke and how his jaw slowly lowered itself further and further. His cheeks also turned darker and darker.

"Okay", nodded Percy suddenly and sharply, gulping hard.

"...That was easier than expected", drawled Reyna out, raising one eyebrow. "How come?"

Percy bit his lower lip and shrugged. "Because I love Nico and if he is insane and crazy enough to want to court me, I am not insane and crazy enough to throw that chance away."

Nico stared a bit dumbfounded. "You... uh... You... _love_ me? You allow me to court you?"

"Uhu", nodded Percy in confirmation before getting up. "So, uh. It's my turn making dinner, right? So, I better get to it. Leo, Piper, wanna come and help me?"

"Sure", chorused the two and followed Percy out of the room.

"...He said he loves me", mumbled Nico in total awe.

"He's gonna repeat that for the rest of the week, isn't he?", snorted Alabaster amused.

/break\

Alabaster was mistaken, Nico kept repeating it for the entire following month. He also started courting Percy – and Percy _loved_ it. He got special attention, gifts. Nothing expensive, something that Percy had made quite clear. Only little things, like one blue-dyed rose on the pillow next to Percy every morning, or breakfast waiting on the nightstand with all his favorites, there would be one piece of blue chocolate waiting on his desk whenever he'd get to work and when Percy had a hard day, he'd come home to a bubble bath drawn in his private bathroom, just waiting for him. There was also a lot of more physical contact between them now. More hugs, more cuddles, more casual touching – a hand on his shoulder in passing, a caress of his ears when Percy would bring a file to Nico. Strictly innocent touching though. Reassuring touching. It was all going so perfectly smoothly, Percy started to feel truly cherished and valued. Until he screwed up.

It was a Wednesday and the named partners were in with a client when Percy came to bring some files. The client being one of the big-shot actresses – a Cat Huma named Drew Tanaka, unmated and only 'business owned' by her agent because a beautiful unmated Cat Huma drew in a far bigger fanbase in the Dog Huma society. When Percy walked into the office with one of his fake, for clients reserved smiles to bring the file, that female Cat Huma was all over Nico, flirting and smiling and _touching_ all over. Nico looked clearly uncomfortable, but also politely charming.

"Back off", hissed Percy before the words even registered to his mind. "He's _mine_."

A growl ripped from his throat as he grabbed Drew and practically threw her to the other side of the room. She screeched, her agent started screaming about unprofessional behavior and Percy got dragged out of the room by Alabaster, Luke and Jason. Right now, Percy was in the room next door, slowly calming down just to now slowly freak out. Annabeth and Piper had followed them and were now kneeling in front of Percy, trying to talk him down from his rage.

"I—I just attacked a client, oh god, I am so sorry!", gasped Percy mortified just to shake his head. "No, that's a lie. I'm not sorry. I wanted to claw her eyes out. No, no, no. I _still_ want to claw her eyes out. She had her hands on Nico's chest. They had no business there. _Let me back in there_."

He growled in a nearly feral way and managed to break loose from the hold Alabaster and Luke had on him. They stared surprised at him, blinking slowly. Jason and Piper were blocking the door though and Annabeth cautiously placed herself between them, hands held up.

"Calm down, Percy", whispered the blonde softly. "That's your instincts talking. You are being courted by Nico and another submissive chatting up Nico is seen as a threat to you and your future family, so you're trying to eliminate that threat. Just take a moment to breath deeply and remember that Nico loves you and he is courting you and Miss Tanaka is just a client, nothing more."

Percy tried mirroring her breathing, concentrating on all the small things Nico had done throughout the past month of courting and white-hot anger was replaced with red-hot embarrassment. "Oh god. I just tried to scratch a client's eyes out. Nico is going to hate me. He's going to fire me. He's going to stop courting me. Who'd want a mate that attacks clients?"

What had started as amusing looking shock fast evolved into a small panic attack and the other kittens looked lost and helpless. They exchanged looks, trying to figure out what to say or do. The answer walked in in the form of Nico, throwing a smile and wave over his shoulder before closing the door and facing them. Percy stared up at him in utter horror, but all Nico did was suddenly crack up and start laughing loudly, startling Percy from his panicked stupor. All of a sudden, he was being pulled into a tight hug, with Nico peppering his face with soft kisses.

"That. Was. Brilliant", laughed Nico, kissing Percy's nose. "Her constant touching was really making me uncomfortable, but oh her face when you called her out on it was priceless."

"But... she's a client. And I just attacked her", pointed Percy out confused, hands spread on Nico's chest (because _he_ was allowed to do that). "Aren't you... angry with me...? Furious? Disappointed?"

"Angry?", asked Nico equally confused, grasping Percy's face tenderly. "Mio gattino, I want you to be my mate, you just... defended your territory and it was the most endearing thing I ever saw."

"Mind if I interrupt here?", threw Luke in, waving one hand between their eyes. "Percy has reached his breaking point. You two, go home, seal the deal, end this ordeal. Make it official so no other submissive can be all over you, because you're bonded and Percy will finally relax some."

Percy wanted to disagree and argue, but Nico beat him to it. "Brilliant idea. Cancel all of my appointments and tell the others to not expect me for the rest of the day. Call Jake to pick us up."

Again, Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Nico lifted him up by his waist and carried him to the elevator, continuing his way to the garage and into the limo. Inside, he placed Percy on his lap, continuing to kiss Percy's face and neck. Blushing, Percy enjoyed the attention until they reached the mansion, where he got once again carried around until they reached the bedroom where Nico slowly placed him on his bed. Percy blushed as he realized that he was right now in Nico's bed not for comfort or cuddles but to pull through with their mating. He took a shaky breath and pulled Nico down into a deep, slow kiss. The Dog Huma was positively surprised, growling pleased.

"First of all, we gotta lose the clothes", whispered Nico, nibbling on Percy's ear. "And then I'm going to prep you so this will be as pleasant as possible and _then_ I will fuck your brains out and give you my bite, my mark, and I will tie you to me. Quite literally actually. That okay?"

Nodding sharply, Percy clawed his nails into Nico's biceps, pulling him into another reassuring kiss. It was a bit hard to get out of their clothes while kissing, but with a bit patience they managed. Nico trailed kisses all over Percy's body, nibbling on his nipples while lubing up his fingers. Percy stiffened beneath him as the slick fingers started to invade him, scissoring him.

"You... ready for me to... continue?", asked Nico while lubing up his own cock.

Percy shook his head sharply, licking his lips. "I don't like this. This... trapped feeling, beneath you. I don't like it. I—I like your touch and the kissing, especially that, but not... this..."

"That's okay", assured Nico, grasping Percy and rolling them over so Percy was straddling Nico's thighs. "There you go. You're in control. No trapping. You can go and stop whenever you want."

Percy blinked doe-eyed, staring down at Nico's hard cock in confusion. "But... I'm the submissive?"

"So what?", shrugged Nico amused, sitting up some. "I'm still the dominant, mio gattino. You're still my cute, little kitten. But you can also ride me. If you want. Do you want?"

Shrugging a little helplessly, Percy cocked his head. "I... want you. I like this... position?"

Nico nodded pleased, pointing at his dick and raising his eyebrows amused. Blushing, Percy slowly adjusted his position so he was hovering above Nico's hardness, supporting his weight against Nico's chest. Taking a shaky breath, Percy lowered himself onto his mate's cock, hissing a bit at the unusual stretch, taking all the time he needed before he was fully settled. Percy leaned down and captured Nico's lips in another kiss, pulling off a bit before settling down again. His rhythm was off and slow at first but the more often he tried, the better his aim got and the more his speed picked up. The first time he managed to hit his prostate with Nico's cock, he screamed out and ran his claws down Nico's chest, also making the Dog Huma scream (though out of entirely different reasons). After that, it didn't take Percy too long to come all over Nico's chest because there was too much pend-up desire here. At his orgasm, Percy slammed down hard against Nico, forcing the slowly swelling base of Nico's cock in. Nico growled, gripping Percy's thighs for support as Percy rode his orgasm out on Nico's cock until the Dog Huma's knot swelled up fully and he erupted inside his new mate, pulling Percy down by his neck to bite his shoulder hard. Percy whimpered, before biting down on Nico's shoulder in return and then collapsing on Nico's torso in exhaustion.

"Mine...", whispered Percy pleased, snuggling up to Nico. "My mate. My safety. My happiness."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, that's the last chapter. All that's left now is the epilogue and - ironically enough - the very scene because of which I started writing this story. Nico says something silly without thinking about it and Percy thinks a bit too hard about it. It's good they have level-headed, clever Annabeth to piece things together and make them properly communicate!
> 
> If you haven't seen it yet, you can now find my full updating schedule on my profile, so check it out to know when which story of mine is going to get an update!


	7. Epilogue: United by Love

_Epilogue: United by Love_

Nico finally got the kitten. He was beyond overjoyed, because he had the perfect mate. Waking up with Percy in his arms every morning was the best feeling in the world. It were the evenings that were a bit of a problem. Sure, Nico was exhausted mentally, but Percy, who spend all day running around in the firm and even outside the firm to get lunch or coffee or whatever, some nights Percy would just drop and fall asleep without another word. And Nico disliked it. He disliked how much that job exhausted Percy. Sure, before Percy had needed it to support himself, then maybe to still have his independence to run away if things tipped over. But they were mates now. Percy was Nico's, Nico's to love and cherish and take care for. Percy didn't have to run around so much to get that bit of money he earned – okay, for a human it probably was an okay payment, but for someone as rich as Nico, it seemed like not so much. He'd easily give Percy an allowance bigger than that, if accepting presents from Nico all the time would be a problem. After all, it was a dominant's duty to provide for their submissive. And then Percy would be more relaxed in the evenings, he would also have more time throughout the day. Time he could spend with Nico, like all the other kittens did. Nico grinned eagerly at the thought of having Percy sitting at his feet, in touching-distance.

"Look at this, Perce", requested Nico, pulling Percy close by the neck so the catboy could take a look at the prospect in his mate's lap. "What do you think about those? I think the navy blue one would be a good pick. It looks comfortable and it'd go well with the interior."

"Mh?", grunted Percy confused, tilting his head and staring at the bean bag. "What for?"

"For my office", replied Nico. "This, next to my desk. I think it'd look good. We could order it, you can test it if it's actually comfortable. If not, we can get a different one, of course. I do want you to be as comfortable as possible. Heaven knows my work-days are too long as it is..."

Percy's face fell as he stared at the bean bag even more intensely. "Oh. Y—Yeah. It's... nice."

"Very well, love. I will order it", hummed Nico pleased, kissing the corner of Percy's mouth. "Now, I have a lot of work to do. I'll see you for dinner, mio gattino?"

Nodding numbly, Percy left the office again and headed to the living room. He found Annabeth, Luke, Thalia and Jason there. Luke and Thalia were playing chess (Luke had tried every source to teach him so he could impress Octavian), Annabeth sat next to Thalia and advised Luke and Jason laid with his head in Luke's lap while napping. Groaning softly, Percy collapsed on Nico's armchair and curled together in his mate's scent, mumbling against a pillow.

"...What crawled up your arse? Or rather, did Nico _not_ crawl up your arse?", asked Luke teasingly.

Huffing to himself, Percy turned around to face the others, clutching the pillow to his chest and only barely peeking over its edge to look at them. Annabeth frowned and sat up straight.

"What's wrong, Percy?", asked the blonde concerned.

"Nico wants to buy me a beanbag. For his office", replied Percy with a crestfallen look.

"A beanbag, huh?", grunted Luke thoughtful, fingers carding through Jason's hair. "Jay would like that. Maybe I should bribe Tavy into buying one for us."

"You look like that's a problem, Percy", pointed Thalia out, raising one eyebrow. "If you prefer a pillow or cushion or armchair, I'm pretty sure Nico would even buy you a throne if you'd ask..."

"That's not it", stated Annabeth seriously. "What is it then, Percy?"

"I just...", drawled Percy out, looking utterly upset. "I thought Nico was _different_. With... With everything he said and did and allowed me, I had really thought he was different..."

"Not sure if I get your point", interrupted Luke a bit confused.

"I thought he was different, but in the end, he just wants some... trophy sub to sit obediently at his feet, ready for him whenever he wants me", muttered Percy and heaved a sigh.

Annabeth screwed her face up in concentration, before she fully understood. She remained seated and waiting until Percy had dozed off. Percy had this odd tendency of falling asleep when he was upset. Once the boy was completely out of it, Annabeth stood – under the protests of Luke – and headed upstairs to the office, where she found Nico and Reyna engaged in conversation.

"You're an utter moron, Nico di Angelo", declared Annabeth, hands akin.

"...What is it with the kittens of my friends and insulting me?", sighed Nico annoyed.

"What did he do this time to agitate you, love?", asked Reyna amused.

"You want to buy a beanbag for Percy", stated Annabeth in an accusing voice.

"I actually already bought it. They should deliver it this afternoon", hummed Nico pleased.

" _Why_ did you buy that?", asked Annabeth, patience wearing thin. "Because he wants it? Did he ask you to? Did he tell you he'd like to have a sleeping place next to your desk? Did he ever as much as imply that he'd like to quit his job and curl up at your feet like your pet?"

Blinking slowly, Nico stared at the angry blonde. "Uhm... I don't really understand the question. He's my mate now, and he didn't have to worry about rent or food for a while. And everything else he could ever want, I'd buy for him. I'm rich. Like, very rich. He can finally kick back and relax."

"But... But...", stammered Annabeth before groaning in frustration. " _That's not Percy_. Does he strike you as the kind of guy who just kicks back and relaxes and have you buy gifts for him?"

"I could give him an allowance so he can decide when to buy what without having to ask me or see the things he wants as gifts from me?", offered Nico with a thoughtful frown.

"You really are an utter moron", sighed Reyna and shook her head. "Even I caught on at this point. Percy has worked hard for everything he ever had and even though you have his best interests in mind because you want to make his life better and more comfortable now that he's your mate, have you ever thought about how this may seem to Percy? You remember how he was when you first brought him here a year ago? So afraid of every Dog Huma, afraid of a dominant to dictate his life. Now here you are, deciding that he doesn't have to work because you can provide for him. Have you ever thought about how Percy maybe enjoys his work...?"

Nico frowned confused and leaned back to think about it.

/break\

After a long and rather relaxing nap, Percy was woken by his mate. Nico was leaning over him and smiling down at him. Frowning a little, Percy stretched very cat-like, meowing softly.

"Come with me for a moment, kitten", whispered Nico, cupping Percy's cheek. "They delivered the beanbag. I want you to test it and tell me if it's comfortable so we can move it to my office."

Nodding numbly, Percy stood and followed his mate, a knot in his stomach. When they entered their by now shared bedroom, Nico grasped Percy by the hips and guided him over to the very large and admittedly extremely comfortable looking beanbag before pushing him down slowly. Yelping softly, Percy found himself sinking into the extremely fluffy blue bag, getting lost in the relaxation.

"So? You like it?", asked Nico eagerly as he heard his mate purring softly.

Somehow, Percy actually hated that he liked it. "...Yes. It's... very comfy."

"Great", hummed the Dog Huma more than pleased and collapsed right next to Percy, arms around his mate's waist. "After all, you only have short breaks and after spending all day running around, you really should have a comfortable resting place to spend lunch, right?"

"...B—Breaks? Lunch?", asked Percy hopeful, looking up and locking eyes with his mate.

Nico heaved a soft sigh as he saw that expression on Percy's face. Right up until now, he had somehow hoped that Annabeth and Reyna weren't right. Nodding slowly, he pulled Percy closer.

"I love you, Perseus", whispered Nico softly, kissing Percy's temple. "And I'm also an idiot. When I showed you the beanbag this morning, I meant for you to stop working so you can _finally_ relax and not have to worry about a thing. I _assumed_ that'd be what you'd want." Nico paused, caressing Percy's face tenderly. "But Annabeth and Reyna pointed out to me that me assuming must have... looked to you as though I was just a dickheaded dominant who thinks he has any right to dictate his submissive's life. W—Which I wasn't, I swear! I really honestly thought it was what you'd want too. I'd never want to do _anything_ that you don't want, Percy. I just assumed..." Another pause and Nico made sure to look deep into Percy's eyes to convey his message. "I _promise_ to never assume anything again, I promise to ask your opinion first before doing such things, honestly. But... But _you_ have to promise me something too. You have to promise me that you'll speak up when I slip. I promise to be considerate, but I'm new to this whole having a mate thing and I can't be sure if I'll always do right by you. So I need you to promise to tell me when I screw up. Like with this. Instead of... just... nodding obediently, I would have preferred if you had told me 'No, Nico, I don't want to sit next to your desk and cuddle with you all day and let you bask in my beauty and presence, I'd rather keep working because I like my work!'. Do you... Do you think you can do that?"

Biting his lips, Percy nodded slowly, reluctantly so. "I... I don't know. I just... I lived all my life expecting dominants to be those... controlling bastards, but you're so... different and I'm... still not used to it. I... should know that you don't mean it, that you don't mean to order me around without considering my opinion, but... deep down I'm still scared that that's what it's going to be like..."

"I know", whispered Nico soothingly, kissing Percy softly. "This is new to both of us, but we both can try our best, right? So... do you think you can promise me to try, mio gattino?"

"Yeah", nodded Percy slowly, offering Nico the smallest smile. "Yeah, I think I can."

"So... you really want to... keep working, then?", inquired Nico curiously after a moment. "Why? I mean, if it's what you want, I will totally support you and all, but... it's not exactly that your work as an errand boy is not exactly prestigious or... changing the world and it's also not that you earn a ton of money with it. I would very willingly give you a monthly allowance ten times as high, really. Then again, I'd spend all my money on you if you'd ask me to, so I suppose I'm biased."

"I know my job doesn't exactly change the world, but... I like it", replied Percy with a small shrug. "I may not be a lawyer, but I still _help_ them. Whenever I do research or even as much as bring the favorite sandwich of a lawyer to them when they're into like five hours of after hours, I feel like I still make a difference, even if it's a small one. And I like the people at the firm, I like helping them. I like being on my feet and working. I can't just sit still for ten hours and stare up at you adoringly, even though I suspect that you'd be totally capable of it if it'd be the other way around."

"Absolutely", replied Nico honestly. "I could totally watch you all day long, really."

"Well, I can't", laughed Percy softly and shook his head. "I can't possibly sit still for that long. But... But your idea, I kinda like that. That I could come and sit with you during my breaks."

"Okay. Good", nodded Nico relieved and kissed Percy again. "I love you."

/break\

Their agreement turned out to be a perfect solution. After having spend five hours running around half of New York, Percy entered the named partners' office with two sandwiches and went straight to his beanbag, collapsing in it and sighing contently before handing one sandwich over to Nico. Nico took it with a grateful hum and reached one hand out to caress Percy between his ears. Percy started purring, curling himself together in a comfortable position that was still in Nico's reach.

"You look good from that angle", mused Percy as he stared up to his mate.

Nico grinned amused as he turned to look at his kitten. "You do too. You look really content."

And he did. Percy was so relaxed as he snuggled up to the beanbag and allowed Nico to pat him. This was the perfect recharge-station for Nico's kitten before he was off to run another errand and Nico was happy to get half an hour to just touch and look at Percy, because _that_ made Nico happy.

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the epilogue was actually the first scene I had written for this story, because I really wanted the "Nico makes a dumb mistake by trying to be too nice and Percy misunderstands him"-thing to happen. And then... plot happened, around it, and it turned from a short oneshot into a seven-parter story. Oh well.
> 
> Now it's over though. And I thank you guys for reading it and even more so for reviewing - you know, feedback is what keeps me going and brightens my days! I hope to see you around in whatever next story I come up with ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, this was supposed to be a oneshot, but I felt that with creating this elaborate world, it would have been too much at once to try and squeeze it all into one shot. So here you go, first digest the world I've created and then you get to meet Nico the grumpy lawyer and Percy the obedient, timid little human errand boy (or so Nico thinks, hah, the poor fool).
> 
> Next thing I'll update will be "Chasing Fireflies" on Wednesday!


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